The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1910-08-31

f, phases OF life on the farm. instead OF
limiting themselves. as they baye far
too often limited themselves In the
past, solely TO the question Of the pro-
duction Of crops.
Nothing is more true than that ex-
cess Of every kind Is followed by re-
action, fact which should be ponder
ed by reformer and reactionary alike.
We are face TO face with new concep-
tons Of the relations Of property TO
human welfare. chiefly because GER.
tain advocates Of the rights Of proper
~ as against the rights Of men have
been pushing their claims too far.
The man who wrongly holds that
every human right is secondary TO his
profit must now give way to the adj
vocate Of human welfare, who rightly
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 l 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 to 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 10 reach a
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 50 that after his
days work is done he will have time
and energy TO bear his share in the
management Of the community, 10 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
ly 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 violenes.
Also. friends. in the interest Of the
workingman himself we need to set
our faces Ike flint against mob VIC
lence just as against corporate greed,
against violence and injustice and law
lessness by wageworkers just as much
as against lawless cunning and greed
and selfish arrogance Of employers.
National efficiency has many factors.
II is a necessary result Of the princi-
pie Of conservation widely applied. In
the end Il will determine our failure
or success as a nation. National eff
cheney has to do not only with natural
resources and with men; It is equally
concerned with institutions.
The state must be made efficient for
the work which concerns only the peo-
Pile OF the state and the nation for
that which concerns all the people.
There must remain no neutral ground
20 serve as a 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 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
forbdding 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 l 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 l.
The betterment which we seek must
be accomplished. believe. mainly
through the national government.
The American people are right in de-
mandng 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
potence which springs from the over
division OF government powers, the inn
potence which makes II possible for
local selfshness or for legal cunning.
hsred by wealthy special interests. TO d
bring national activities TO a dead
lock. This new nationallsm regards ,
the executive power as the steward of
the public welfare. 1t demands of the
judiciary that II shall be interested a
I 1