The daily sentinel., 1912-08-07

oil our banking and currency laws, II
is plain that we oughttO consult very
many persons besides the bankers,
not because we distrust the bankers.
but because they do not necessarily
comprehend the business of the ccun-
try. Notwithstanding they are indis-
pensable servants Cf It and may do a
vast deal to make it hard or easy.
No mere bankers plan will meet the
requirements. no matter how hon
estly conceived. II should be mer-
chants and farmers plan as well,
elastic in the hands of those who use
1t as an indispensable part of their
daily business.
I'VE Don't Own Philippines.
In dealing with the Philippines,
We should not allow ourselves to
stand upon any mere point of pride.
We are not the owners OF the Phil
ippine islands. We hold them in
trust for the people who live in
them. They are theirs, for the uses
of their life. We are not even their
partners. II is our duty as trustees.
to make whatever arrangements OF
government will be most serviceable
to their freedom and development.
Here, again. we are to set up the rule
OF justice and of right.
Conservation.
81 do not know any greater ques-
tion than that of conservation. We
have been a spondthrift nation and
must now husband what we have
left. We must do more than that.
We must develop as well as preserve
our water powers and must add great
waterways to the transportation ia
cilities of the nation, to supplement
the railways within our borders as
well as upon the isthmus. We must
revive our merchant marine, too, and
fill the seas again with our own
fleets. We must add TO our present
postotfice service a parcels post as
complete as that any other nation.
We must look to the health of our
people upon every hand. us well as
hearten them with Justice and OPP
portunity, This is the constructive
work OF government. This is the pol
icy that has a vision and hope and
that looks to serve mankind.
with regard to the development
OF greater and more numerous wat
erways and the building up of mer
chant marine. we must follow great
constructive lines and not fail back
upon the cheap device of bounties
and subsidies. In the case of the
Mississippi river, that great central
artery of our trade, it is plain that
the federal government must build
and maintain the levees and keep the
great waters in harness for the gen
eral use. 1t is plain, too, that vast
sums of money must he spent to de-
velop new waterways where trade
Will be most served and transporta-
a
Such expenditures are no largess ON
the part of the government; they are
national Investments.
Panama Canal.
THE very fact that we have at
last taken the Panama canal serious
ly in hand and are vigorously push
ing it towards completion is eloquent
of our reawakened interest in inter-
national trade. I'VE are not building
the canal and pouring out million
upon million OF anuney upon its con-
structlon mere ~ to establish Il water
connection between the two coasts
OF the continent. Important and de-
sirable as that may be, particularly
from the point Of view of naval de-
fense. 1t is meant to be a great in
ternational highway. II would he
little ridiculous if we should build
1t and then have no ships to send
through il. There have been years
when not single ton of freight
passed through the great Suez canal
in an American bottom, so empty are
the seas of our ships and seamen.
We must mean to put an end to that
kind of thing, or we would not be
cutting new canal at our very doors
merely for the use or our men-or-
war. We shall not manage the re-
viyal by the mere paltry device OF
tolls. We must build and buy ships
in competition with the world. We
can do it if we will but give our
selves leave.
There is another duty which the
democratic party has shown itself
great enough and close enough to the
people to perceive-the duty of the
government to share in promoting
agricultural, Industrial, vocational
education in every way possible with
in its constitutional powers. No 9TH
er platform has given this Intimate
vision of party's duty. The nation
cannot enjoy its deserved supremacy
III the markets and enterprises of the.
world unless its people are given the
ease and effectiveness that come only
with knowledge and training. Edu-
cation is part of the great task of
conservation, part of the task of re-
newal and of perfected power.
There is No Indispensable Man.
"A presidential campaign may cas-
lily degenerate into mere personal
contest and SO lose its real dignity
and significance. There is no indis-
pensab1e man. The government will
not collapse and so to pieces IL any
one OF the gentlemen who are seek
ing to be entrusted with its guidance
should be left at home. But men are
instruments. We are ms important
as the cause we represent, and, in
order to be important, must really
represent cause. What is our
cause? The peoples cause? That is
easy TO say: but what does 1t mean?