Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-01

Germs all the people. There must remain
no neutral ground to serve as refuge for
lawbreakers, and especially for lawbreakers
OF great wealth. who can hire the vulpine
legal cunning which will teach them how
TO avoid both jurisdictions. II lie mis-
fortune when the national legislature falls
to do It's duty in providing a national
remedy, so that the only national activity
Is the purely negative activity OF the )u-
dietary in forbldding the state to exercise
power in the premises.
A New Nationalism.
l do not ask for over-centralization, but
do ask that we work in a spirit OF broad
and far-reaching nationalism when we
work for what concerns our people as q
whole. We are all Americans. Our COM
mon interests are as broad as the conti-
nent. 1 speak to you here In Kansas ex-
actly az / would speak In New York or
Georgia, for the most vital problems are
those whichtanect us all alike. The ma
tionai government belongs to the whole
American people. and where the whole
American people are interested. that inter-
est can be guarded effectively only by the
national government The betterment which
we seek must be accomplished, believe,
mainly through the national government.
The American people are right in demand
ing that new natonalism without which
we cannot hope to deal with new problems
The new nationalism puts tho national
need before sectional OF personal advantage
1t Is impatient OF the utter confusion that
results from local legislatures attempting
to treat national issues as local issues. 1t
Is still more impatient of the Importance
which springs from the over-division OF
government powers, the impotence which
makes It possible for local selfishness or
for legal cunning. hired by wealthy special
interests, to bring national activities to
deadlock. This new nationallsm regards
the executive power as the steward OF the
public welfare. 1t demands Of the judiciary
that II shall be interested primarily in hu-
man welfare rather than In property, Just
as 1t demands that the representative body
shall represent all the people, rather than
any one class or section Of the people.
1 believe In shaping the ends OF govern
ment to protect property as we'll as human
welfare. Normally, and in the long run,
the ends are the same, but whenever the
alternative must be faced am for men
and not for property, / am far from under
estimating the Importance of dividends, but
rank dividends below human character
know well that the reformers must not
the reforms themselves will go down in the
ruin But we must be ready to face tenn
porary disaster whether or not brought on
by those who will war against us TO the
knife. Those who oppose all reform will do
we'll to remember that ruin in its worst
form is inevitable IL our national life brings
us nothing better than swollen fortunes
for the few and the triumph in both politics
ana business Of a sordid ana selfish mater
ielism.
More Direct Action Needed.
IL our political institutions were perfect,
they would absolutely prevent the political
domination OF money in any part OF our
ar1airs. We need to make our political
representatives more quickly and sensitlvely
responsive to the people whose servants
they are. More direct action by the people
in their own affairs under proper safe
guards is vitality necessary. The direct
primary is step in this direction IL it is
associated with corrupt practices are eff
receive to prevent the advantage OF the
man willing recklessly and. .unscrupulously
70 spend money over the more honest com
petltor' 1t is Particularly tnportant that all
moneys received or expended for campaign
purposes should be puAilcIs ACCOUNTED. for
not only after4siection hut before election
as Wen. Political actipEsSs must be made
simpler. easter and fryer from confusion for
every citizen l believe that the prompt re-
nloVal OF unfaithfui or Incompetent public
Servants should be made easy and sure in
"hateVer way experience shall show to be
most expedient in any given class of cases
one OF tie fundamental necessities IN a
representative government such as onrs e
10 make certain that the men to whom the
people delegate their mower shall servo
the people by whom they are elected, and
not the special interests. 1 believe that
every national officer, elected or appointed
shoulo be forbidden to perform any service
or receive any compensation directly or in
ulrectly from Interstate corporations: and
similar provision could not fail to be use
full within the states.
Ahe OBJECT OF government is the welfare
OF the people. The material progress ana
prosperity OF nation are desirable chiefly
so Tar as they lead to the moral and ma
terlal welfare OF all good citizens. Just in
proportion as the average man and woman
are honest, capable of sound Judgment and
nigh ideals, active In public affairs-but
first OF all sound in their home life. and
the father ana mother Of healthy children
just so far and no farther we may count
our civilization a success. We must have
believe we have already-a genuine and
permanent moral awakening, without
which no wisdom OF legislature or adj
hmhlstrauon really means anything; and.
on the other hand. We must try to secure
tne social and economic legislation without
which any Improvement due to purely moral
agitation is necessarily evanescent. What
we need is good citizens. Good citizenship
means progress; and therefore all good citi-
zens should stand for grogress and must
be progressive.