Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-08-31

maintains that every man holds his
property subject to the general right
OF the community to regulate its use
to Whatever degree the public welfare
may require it. But think we may
go still further.
The right to regulate the use Of
wealth In the public interest Is uni
versally admitted. Let us admit also
the right 70 regulate the terms and
conditions OF labor. which Is the chief
element OF wealth, directly In the in
terest OF the common good The fun
damental thing to do for every man is
to give him the chance to reach q
place In which he will make the great
est possible contribution to the public
welfare.
No man can be a good citizen unless
he has a wage more than sufficient to
cover the bare cost Of living and hours
Of labor short enough so that after his
days work Is done he will have time
and energy TO bear his share in the
management Of the community, to help
In carrying the general load.
We keep countless men from being
good citizens by the conditions OF life
with which we surround them We
need comprehensive workmen's com,
pensation acts, both state and national
laws to regulate child labor and the
work Of women, and especially we
need In our common schools not mere
" education In book learning, but also
practical training for daily life and
work.
We need to enforce better sanitary
conditions for our workers and to ex-
tend the use Of safety appliances In
industry and commerce both within
and between the states. .
Fight Mob Violence.
Also, friends. IN the interest OF the
workingman himself we need to set
our faces like flint against mob vio-
Ience just as against corporate greed
against violence and injustice and Law
lessness by wageworkers just az mucl
as against lawless cunning and greed
and selfish arrogance OF employers.
National efficiency has many factors.
II Is q necessary result OF the princi-
pie Of conservation widely applied In
the end IL will determine our failure
or success as a nation. National efl-
cheney has to do not only with natural
resources and with men; IL Is equally
concerned with institutions.
The state must be made efficient for
the work which concerns only the peo-
pie OF the state and the nation for
that which concerns all the people.
There must remain no neutral ground
to serve as a refuge for lawbreakers
and especially for lawbreakers OF great
wealth he hn rIra4uo
cunning which will teach them how to
avoid both Jurisdictions
It is a misfortune when the national
legislature fails to do its duty in
providing a national remedy, so that
the only national activity is the purely
negative activity of the judiciary in
forbidding the state to exercise power
in the premises.
do not ask for decentralization,
but do ask that we work in a spirit Of
broad and farreaching nationalism
when we work for what concerns our
people as a whole.
We are all Americans. Our common
interests are as broad as the CONT
nent.
! speak to you here in Kansas exact
~ as I would speak in New York or
Georgia. for the most vital problems
are those which affect US all alike. The
national government belongs to the
whole American people, and where the
whole American people are interested
that interest can be guarded effectively
only by the national government
The betterment which we seek must
be accomplished. I believe, mainly
through the national government
The American people are right In de-
manding that new nationalism with
out which we cannot hope to deal with
new problems. The new nationalism
puts the national need before section
al or personal advantage. 1t is impa-
tient of the utter confusion that re-
suits from local legislatures attempt
ing to treat national issues as local is
sues.
1t is still more impatient Of the i'm