The Raymer enterprise., 1910-09-01

words Lincoln took substantially the atti-
tude that we ought 10 take; he showed
the proper sense Of proportion in his rela-
i've estimates Of capital and labor. Of
human rights and property rights Above
all. In this speech. as In many others, he
taught lesson In wise kindliness and
charity; an Indispensable lesson to us OF
today. But this wise kindliness and char
ity never weakened his arm or numbed
his heart. We cannot afford weakly to
blind ourselves to tho actual conflict
which faces US today. The issue is join
ed. ana we must hght or fail.
Equality Of Opportunity.
In every wise struggle for human bet
terment one Of the main objects, and
often the only object. has been to achieve
In larger measure equality Of opportunity.
In the struggle for this great end. ma
ions rise from barbarism to civilization,
and through 1t peoples press forward from
one stage OF enlightenment to the next.
One OF the chief factors In progress Is
the destruction OF special privilege. Tho
essence OF any struggle for healthy lib
erty has always been and must always
DO TO take from some one man or class
OF men the right TO enjoy power. or
j.
has not been earned by service to his
or their fellows.
At many stages in the advance of hu-
mnnity this conflict between the men who
possess more than they have earned and
the men who have earned more than they
possess Is the central condition of prog
ress. In our day It appears as the strug-
gle OF free men to gain and hold the
n If.0n artS ort
special interests. who twist the methods
of free government into machinery for
defeating the popular will. At every
stage and under all circumstances the
essence of the struggle is to equalize op-
portunity. destroy privilege, and give to
the life and citizenship OF every individ-
ual the highest possible value both to
himself and TO tho commonwealth.
Practical equality Of opportunity for all
citizens. when we achieve IT, win have
two great results. First. every man will
have fair chance to make Of himself all
that In him lies. to reach the higi, st point
to which his capacities. unassisted by
special privilege OF his own and unham.
pered by the special privileges Of others.
can carry him. and TO get for himself
and his family substantially what ne has
earned. Second. equality Of opportunity
means that the commonwealth will get
from every citizen the highest service OF
which he Is capable. No man who car
ries the burden Of the special privileges
OF another can give TO the commonwealth
that service to which It Is fairly en-
titled.
] stand for the square deal. But when
say that I am for the square deal
mean not merely that stand for fair
play under the present rules Of the game,
but that stand for having those rules
ehanEed so as to work for . more sub
stantial equality Of opportunity. and Of
reward for equally good service.
This means that our governments, Ma
uonal and State. must be freed from the
sinister influence or control OF special
interests. Exactly a. the special interests
OF cotton and slavery threatened our DO
litical integrity before the Civil war. no
now the great special business interests
too often control and corrupt the men and
methods Of government for their own
pront. We must drive the special later
ests out Of politics. That is one OF our
tasks today. Every special interest In
entitled to justice-full. fair. and COM
plete-but not one Ia entitled to a vote in
congress. voice on the bench, or to rep
resentation In any public office. The Con-
stitution guarantees protection to proper
~. and we must make that promise good
But 1t does not give the right Of suffrage
to any corporation.
Property Should Be the Servant.
The true friend OF property. the true
conservative. Is he who insists that prop
erty shall be the servant and not the
master OF the commonwealth: who insists
that the creature Of mans making shall
be the servant and not the master Of the
man who made It. The citizen of the
United States must effectively control the
mighty commercial forces which they
have themselves called into being.
There can be no effective control OF
corporations while their political activity
remains, To put an end to Il will be
neither 4 short nor an easy task. but It
can be dore.
We must have complete and effective
publicity OF rporate affairs, SO that the
people may know beyond peradventure
whether the corporations obey the law
and whether theii management entities
them to the conf he OF the public. II
is necessary ths should be passed
to prohibit the bf corporate funds
directly or inc for political pur-
poses; II Is hore necessary that
Corporate exiS hres for politicai pur-
poses and especially such expenditures
by public service corporations. have sup
piled one OF the principal sources OF cor
rup,ion In our political affairs.
II has become entirely clear that we
must have government supervision OF the
capitalization not only Of public service
corporations including particularly rail
ways. but OF all corporations doing an
Interstate business. do not wish to
see the Nation forced Into ownership OF
the railways II II can possibly be avoided.
and the only alternative Ia thoroug going
and effective regulation. which shall be
based on full knowledge OF all the facts.
including a physical valuation Of the
property, This physicai valuation is not
needed. or at least ID very rarely needed.
for hrins rates. but II II needed ~ the
basis OF honest capitalization.
We have come TO recognise that fran
chises should never be granted except
for a limited time. and never without
proper provision for compensation to the
public. II Is my personal belief that the
same kind and degree Of control and
supervision which should be exercised
over public service corporations should
be extended also TO combinations which
control nscessaries Of life. such as meat.
oil, and coal. or which deal In them on
an important scale.
! believe that the officers. and espe-
claily the directors. OF corporations.
should be held personally responsible
when any corporation breaks the law.
Dealing With Combinations.
Combinations In industry are tho result
Of an imperative economic law which can
not be repealed by uoiiticai lextsiation