The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1912-08-06
COMMISSION OF
FAITH" DELIVERED.
CONTINUED from Page s.)

Mr.. Roosevelt as contributing to the
high cost Of living. But effective legis-
lation regarding it can only be framed
on comprehensive scale after thor
ough, scientific and prompt inquiry.
"There is no more curious delusion
than that the Democratic platform is
a progressive platform. The Demo
cratic platform, representing the best
thought Of the acknowledged Demo
cratic leaders at Baltimore, is purely
retrogressive and reactionary. There
is no progress in it. 1t represents an
effort to go back-to put this nation of
1OO,OOO,OO0, existing under modern
conditions, back to where it was. as a
nation Of 25,O0O,OOO in the days Of the
stagecoach and canalboat. Such an at
titude is toryism, not progressivism.",
The Currency.
Mr. Roosevelt declares that our pres
ent bank currency based on govern
ment bonds is unscientific and urges
the adoption Of system which shall
provide "elasticity in the credit and
currency necessary for the conduct Of
business, free from recurring panics."
The control Of such system should
be in the hands of the government and
must be free from manipulation by
Wall street or the large interests
Conservation.
Under this head Mr.. Roosevelt reaf-
firms his we'll known policy on the con-
servation and reclamation Of national
resources. We must conserve our soil,
our forests, our mines, not only for our
own benefit, but for the benefit Of our
children and descendants. "The public
should not ALLEVIATE it's fee in the water
power which will be of incalculable
value as source Of power in the i'm
mediate future" and 1--WE should under
take the complete development and
control Of the Mississippi as national
work, just as we have undertaken the
work Of building the Panama canal.
Alaska.
I'm Alaska the government has an
opportunity of starting in what is al
most a fresh field to work out various
problems by actual experiment" It
should at once construct, own and op-
crate all the railways In Alaska. 1t
should keep the fee Of all coal fields
and allow them to be operated by les
see with the condition in the lease that
non-use shall operate as forfeit. A
system of land taxation should be tried
which promotes the actual use Of land
and discourages the holding Of land
for speculation. The telegraph lines
should be owned and operated by the
government.
international Affairs.
''In International affairs this country
should behave toward other nations ex-
actly as an honorable private citizen
Our small army should have efficiency;
the navy must be steadily built up un-
til ut proves possible to secure by in
ternational agreement general reduc-
ton Of armaments;" the Panama canal
must be fortified. Panama canal tolls
on deep water commerce should be
uniform to all nations, including our
selves. American coastwise vessels
should pass through the canal free, for
this would be no discrimination against
foreign nations and would give us rea
sonable competition with transconti-
mental railways. No foreign treaty
should be entered into which we do
not mean to scrupulously observe in
every particular.
Conclusion.
expounded in his address Mr.. Roosevelt
spoke as follows:
"Now, friends, this is my confession
of faith. I have made it rather long
because wish you to know just what
my deepest convictions are on the
great questions Of today, so that if you
choose to make me your standard bear
er in the fight you shall make your
choice understanding exactly how l
iceland if, after hearing me, you
think you ought to choose some one
else shall Loyalty abide by your choice.
The convictions to which I have come
have not been arrived at as the result
Of study in the closet or the library,
but from the knowledge I have gained
through hard experience during the
many years in which, under many and
varied conditions, I have striven and
t01led with men. I believe in a larger
use Of the governmental power to help
remedy industrial wrongs because It
has been borne in on me by actual ex-
per1ence that without the exercise of
such power many Of the wrongs will
go unremedied. .believe in a larger
opportunity for the people themselves
directly to participate in government
and to control their governmental
agents, because long experience has
taught me that without such control
many Of their agents will represent
them badly. By actual experience in
office I have found that, as rule,
could secure the triumph Of the causes
In which most believed, not from the
politicians and the men who claim an
exceptional right to speak in business
and government, but by going over
their heads and appealing directly to
the people themselves.
Il am not under the slightest delusion
as to any power that during my polit-
1cal career have at any time possessed.
Whatever of power I at any time had
l obtained from the people. 1 = lid
exercise it only so long as and to the
extent that the people not merely be-