The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-31

deavor to apply to the problems of the
present precisely the qualities which in
other crises enabled the men of that
day to meet those crises. It is half
melancholy, and half amusing to see
the way in which well-meaning peo-
pie gather to do honor to the men
who, in company with John Brown,
and under the lead of Abraham Lin
coin, faced and solved the great prob
lens of the nineteenth century, while
at the same time these good people
nervously shrink from or frantically
denounce those who are trying to meet
the problems of the twentieth century
in the spirit which was accountable
for the successful solution of the prob
lens of Lincoln's time.
OF that generation of men. to whom
we owe so much. the man to whom
we owe the most is. of course. Lin
cause he forecast our present struggle
and saw the way out. He said:
Il hold that while man exists it is
his duty to improve not only his own
condition but to assist in ameliorating
mankind" And agsin, Labor is prior
to and independents capital; capital
is only the fruit OF labor, and could
never have existed except for labor.
/ Labor is the superior of capital and de-
serves much the higher consideration.
Capital has its rights which are as
worthy of protection as any other
rights : J.. Nor should this lead to
war upon the owners of property.
Property is the fruit of labor; proper
| ty is desirable' is a positive good in
the world. Let not him who is house,
less pull down the house of another,
but let him work diligently and build
one for himself. thus by example
showing that his own shall be safe
i from violence when built % It seems
to me that in these words Lincoln
| took substantially the same attitude
that we ought to take; he showed the
proper sense of proportion in his rela-
| tive estimates of capital and labor. of
human rights and property rights
] Above all in this speech, as in many
others, he taught a lesson in wise
kindliness and charity: an indispensa-
BILE lesson to us of today. But this
wise kindlfness and charity never
weakened his arm or numbed his
heart. We cannot afford weakly to
blind ourselves to the actual conflict
which faces us today The issue is
Joined, and we must fight or fail.
Destruction of Special Privilege.
4 In every wise struggle for human
betterment one of the main objects
achieve in larger measure equality of
opportunity. In the struggle for this
great end, nations rise from barbar-
ism to civilization, and through it
peoples press forward from one stage
| of enlightenment to the next. One
of the chief factors in progress is the
destruction of special privilege. The
essence of any struggle for healthy
liberty has always been and must al
ways be to take from some one man
or class of men the right to enjoy
power, or wealth. or position, or i'm
munity which has not been earned by
service to his or their fellows.
4 At many stages in the advance of
humanity this conflict between the
men who possess more than they have
WI hox al
more than they possess is the central
condition of progress. In our day it
appears as the struggle of free men
!, to gain and hold the right of self
government as against the special in
terests, who twist the methods of free
government into machinery for de-
feating the popular will. At every
stage and under all circumstances the
essence of the struggle is to equalize
opportunity, destroy privilege, and
| give to the life and citizenship of
every individual the highest possible
value both to himself and to the COM
monwealth.
J Practical equality of opportunity for
all citizens. when we achieve it. will
+, have two great results First, every
! man will have a fair chance to make
of himself all that in him lies, to
reach the highest point to which his
capacities, unassisted by special privi-
l lege of his own and unhampered by
!, the special privileges of others, can
l carry him, and to get for himself and
! his family substantially what he has
! earned. Second, equality of opportun-
: ity means that the commonwealth will
! get from every citizen the highest SER
: vice of which he is capable. No mar
who carries the burden of special
privileges of another can give to the
commonwealth that service to which
> it is fairly entitled.
II 1 stand for the square deal. But
when I say that I am for the square
deal I mean not merely that 1 stand
for fair play under the present rules
f of the game, but that stand for hav-
C ing those rules changed so as to worH
Y for a more substantial equality of op
: portunity, and of reward for equally
a good service.
81 Special Interests.
q This means that our governments
: national and state, must be freed from