The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-09-23
ROOSEVELT Defends
new CREED
DENIES THAT IN ADVOCATING
NEW NATloNALlsMr HE Is
TALKING REVOLUTION.

Modern conditions-WouId Reward
All Honest Effort and Make Bis.
honest Effort Too Uncomfortable to
Exist.
Oyster Bay, N. Y, Sept. 17.-Theo-
lore Roosevelt said that in declar,ne
his new political creed he was not
talking revolution.
| In a stanch defense of his doctrine
of the new nationalism," he declared
that he was merely urging the appli-
cation of old moralities to modern con.
ditions. At the same time he replied
| with spirit to those who have been on
posing him and holly denounced news
! papers which, he said, attacked honest
public men.
Col. Roosevelt's address was deliv-
cred at the Suffolk county fair at Riv.
erhead, L. I. He rode about 120 miles
| in an automobile to and from River
| mead, and spoke to great crowd on
the fair grounds.
The colonePs exposition of new ma
| tionalism" came at the close of a
speech in which he also denounced
dishonest corporations, dishonest men
of wealth and political bosses. He
made no reference to the New York
state political situation.
II have noticed a good deal of COM
ment on my speech on new nation
/ oil 6nn1ornd 0A11 hof
nationalism means is the application
of certain old time moralities to the
changed conditions of the day.
Wants Government Power.
81 wish to see greater governmental
efficiency because we have to deal with
a greater business efficiency. Simple
laws are all that are necessary in
small communities, when there is no
big business and each man works for
himself. When you get masses of
wealth gathered together and great
corporations developing, conditions
then become SO changed that there
must be an increase in governmental
activity to control the wealth for bust
ness efficiency.
II would not do any wrong to the
great corporation, but I don't intend
to rely only on the big corporations
good nature to see that the corporation
does not do harm against us.
i II want to see such control of the
wealth now gathered for business uses
as to favor the honest man who uses
the wealth genuinely for the service
of the public, and to make the dis
honest man feel that he has to do
what is right; and if he does not feel it
we shall see to it that he does.
"That is my whole creed. That is
all there is in it. There is no revolu-
ton in it. There is no appeal to mob
rule. On the contrary, recognize
mob violence as an eLemy of the pub
lie good just as much as lawless
/ wealth.
Against Poor Man.
II am against the poor man who is
guilty of the crime of lawless vio-
,ence. and when it Is in my power
shall try to punish him for his mis-
deeds. just as whenever have the
power will join with those that see
to it that the corrupt man Of wealth
lis good-not because he likes it, but
because he has to be-"
Col. Roosevelt spoke with even more
than customary earnestness. His
words were received with cheers.
81 now want to speak to you as citi-
xens on the great problems that con-
Germ all of us. / think every citizen
of a free democracy ought to DISTRICT,
above, all others, the public man whose
deeds do not square with his words.
"That has two sides. 1t has to do
with the politician who makes prom
| ises that he does not keep, and it has
to do with newspapers that say what
j they know is not true. Mark Twain
said that there are 500 different kinds
OF lies, but the only one which was
authoritatively forbidden was that of
bearing false witness against your
/ neighbor. There are one or two metro
i politan dailies which would do well to
print that at the head Of the columns
and then try to live up to it. / with
hold their names, but omission is
easily supplied.
i Dishonest Politicians.
There are two prime difficulties in
getting good government. One arises
j from the dishonest politician. ] think
the corrupt politician no worse an
Ienemy OF the people than the man who
lies about the honest public servant
The damage he does is to the public,
Il in SO confusing the public by attack
ing the men who are honest that the
people cease to be able to recognize
j and to war against men who are dis
4 honest. Such 4 man is Of the great
est advantage to the thief.
Il .NThe corrupt politician is no worse.
than that corrupt politicians main
stay. the newspaper which says that