Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1912-02-21
GOVERNMENT BY PEOPLE
Believes in Initiative and Re-
ferendum and Direct EIec-
tion Of U. S. Senators.
EQUALIT YOF0PP0RTUNlTY
Good Laws to be Useful
Must be Backed by Good
Men in Office.

Bpeof63 0y tinted Press Wire.
Columbus, O {, Feb. 21:-Colonel
Roosevelt arrived today and was
met by DR.. Washington GLADDEN. the
noted Congregational preacher and
the originator of the term tainted
money, who later entertained him at
luncheon. There was no military
Or, uniform police escorts for the
colonel, but ample plain clothes men
were near to guard him.
About 1000 persons and band
greeted Roosevelt at the station.
The force of plain clothes men
proved Inadequate and it was nee
essary for the Colonel to push his
way through the crowds.
Four inches of snow under foot,
and a drizzling rain caused Roose-
yelt hackers in Columbus, to shud-
der at the prospects of q ''sponta-
neoar demonstration" which the ex-
Presidents managers In the state
had planned, but in spite of the
weather hundreds fiocked to the sta
tton to get glimpse Of the visitor
and the State-House lobby was
thronged with spectators long before
time Tor his appearance there.
Roosevelt spoke to the State Com
stitutional Convention and at 8 D.
m left for New York via Cleve-
land His address at the conven-
ton made o deep impression on the
vast audience and was received with
great enthusiasm. The address fol-
lows:
Mr.. President. and Members of the
Ohio Constitutional Conventions
am profoundly sensible of the
honor you have done me in asking
me to address you. You are engaged
In tha fundamental work Of self-goy-
ernment. you are engaged In framing
d constitution under end In accord
ance with which the people are to get
and to do Justice and absolutely to
rule Themselves. No representative
body can have d higher task. To
carry 1t through successfully there is
need to combine practical common
sense OF most hard-headed kind with
a spirit of lofty idealism. without
idealism your work will be but a sor-
did makeshift; and without the hard
headed common sensa the .dsaIisns
viii be either wasted or worse than
wasted.
| shall not try to speak to you OF
matters OF detail. cannot touch
upon them all; the subject Ia too vast
and the time too limited; IL any one
of you cares to know my views OF
these matters which do not today
discuss, | win gladly send him
copy OF the speeches 7 made In 1910.
which I think cover most of the
ground
I believe In pure democracy. With
Lincoln, I hold that "this country,
with it's institutions, belongs to the
people who inhabit It Whenever they
shail grow weary OF the existing
government, they can exercise their
constitutional right OF amending It,"
We progressives believe that the rec-
pie have the right. the power. and the
duty to protect themselves and their
own welfare; that human rights are
supreme over all other rights; that
wealth should be the servant, not the
master, of the people We believe
that unless- representative govern
ment does absolutely represent the
people 1t 10 not representative govern
ment at all. We test the worth of
ell men and all measures by asking
how they contribute to tho welfare
of tha men. women and children of
whom this nation IL composed. We
are engaged in one of the great bat
ties of the ags-long contest waged
against privilege on behalf of the
common welfare. We hold 1t prime
duty Of the people to free our gov
ernment from the control OF money
IN politics. For this purpose we adj
yocate. not as ends IN themselves, but
Continued on page 30