Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-24
Roosevelt Portrays Ideal Citizenship
as Men of Letters Applaud His Views

built little fire, took out a cinch-ring, heated
IT at the fire; and the cowboy started to put
on the brand l said to him, 1T is So-ahd-
Sos brand" naming the man on whose range
we happened to be. He answered: THAT'S
all right, boss; l happen to know my busi-
ness" In another moment / said TO hlm
Hold on: you are putting ON my brandg' To
which he answered: That's all right; l al
ways put on the boss brand" l answered;
"oh. very we'll Now you 60 straight back
to the ranch and get what is owing to YOU
/ don't need you any longer" lie jumped
up and said why, what's the matter?
i was putting on your brand" And l an
swered, yes my friend, and if you VIII
steal for me, you will steal from me-"
Now. the same principle which applies in
private life applies also in public life. II
public tries to get your vote by saying
that he will do something wrong in your In
terest you can be absolutely certain that II
ever it becomes worth his while he will do
something wrong against your interest.
CITIZENSHIP AND THE STATE
So much for the citizenship of the individual
in his relations TO his family, to his neighbor,
to the state. There remain duties of citizen
ship which the state the aggregation of all
the individuals, owes in connection with other
states, with other nations Let me say at once
that 1 no advocate OF foolish cosmopoli-
tanism. believe that man must be a good
patriot before he be. and the only pos
sible way OF being, good citizen Of the
world. Experience teaches us that the average
man who protests that his international feeling
swamps his national feeling, that he does not
for his country because he cares so much
for mankind, in actual practice proves him
self the foe of mankind; that the man who
says that he does not care to be a citizen of
any one country, because he is citizen Of
the world, is in very fact usually exceed
ingly undesirable citizen of whatever corner
Of the world he happens at the moment 10 be
in. In the dim future all moral needs and
moral standards may change; but al present,
II man can view his own country and all
other countries from the same level with tepid
indifference, it is wise TO distrust him, Just
il Is wise to distrust the man who can
take the same dispassonate view OF his wife
and his mother
International law will, 1 believe, as the
generations pass. grow stronger and stronger
until in some way other there develops the
power to make it respected. But as yet IT Is
only In the first formative period. As yet. as
rule, each nation is OF necessity obliged to
Judge for itself in matters of vital Importance
between It and its neighbors and actions must
of necessity, where this is the case be differ
ent from what they are where, among pri-
vate citizens, there is an outside force whose
action is all-powerful and must be invoked
in any crisis of Importance.
1t is the duty Of wise statesmen. gifted with
the power OF looking ahead, 20 try to encour-
age and build up every movement which Will
substitute or tend to substitute some other
agency for force in the settlement of interna-
tional disputes. 1t is the duty OF every honest
statesman to try to guide the nation so that
1t shall not wrong any other nation But as
yet the great civilized peoples. if they are to
be true to themselves and to the cause Of
humanity and civilization. must keep even in
mind that in the last resort they must possess
both the will and the power to resent wrong
doing from others.