Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-08-07

stitutional powers. No other platform
has given this intimate vision Of par
tvs duty. Education Is part Of the
great task Of conservation, part of
the task of renewal and of perfected
power.
We have set ourselves a great pro-
gram, and 1t will be a great party that
carries 1t out. 1t must be party with
out entangling alliances with any spe-
cial interest whatever. 1t must have
the spirit and the point of view of the
new age. Men are turning away from
the Republican party as organized I'M
der its old leaders because they found
that IT was not free, that 1t was entan-
gled, and they are turning to us be-
cause they deem us free to serve them.
We should go into this campaign
confident of only one thing-conf1dent
of what we want to do II tntrusted
with the government. 1t Is not a parti-
san fight we are entering upon. We
are happily excused from personal at
tacks upon opponents and from all gen.
eral indictments against the men OPP
posed to us. The facts are patent to
everybody; we do not have to prove
them; the more frank among our oppo-
nents admit them. Our thinking must
be constructive from start to finish.
We must show that we understand the
problems that confront us and that we
are sOberly minded to deal with them,
applying to them not nostrums and no
| tons, but hard sense and good courage.
! GOVERNMENT FOR PUBLIC GOOD.
A presidential campaign may easily
| degenerate into a mere personal con-
! test and so lose its real dignity and
Significance. There is no indspensa-
| BILE man. The government will not
collapse and go to pieces II any one
| Of the gentlemen who are seeking to
be intrusted with it's guidance should
be left at home. But men are instru-
ments We are as important as the
cause we represent, and in order to
be important must really represent a
cause What is our causef The peo-
pies cause? That is easy to say, but
/ what does 1t meani The common as
ag INST any particular interest what
n or? Yes, but that, too, needs trans
resent the desire to set up an unen-
tagled government, government that
cannot be used for private purposes.
either In the field of business or in
the field OF politics: a government that
will not tolerate the use OF the organ
ization of great party to serve the
personal aims and ambitions OF any
! individual and that Will not permit
Legislation TO be employed to further
any private interest. II is a great con-
ception, but ] am free to serve 1t, as
yOu also are. / could not have ac-
cepted a nomination which left me
bound to any man or any group OF
men. No man can be just who Is not
free, and no man who has 10 show
favors ought To undertake the solemn
responsibility OF government in any
rank or post whatever. least OF all in
the supreme post Of president Of the
United States.
To be free Is not necessarily to be
wise. But wisdom comes with coun-
gel, with the frank and free confer
ence OF untrammeled men united in
the common interest Should | be in
trusted with the great Office Of presi
dent ! would seek counsel wherever
It could be had upon free terms. /
know the temper of the great conven-
ton which nominated me; know the
temper OF the country that lay back
OF that convention and spoke through
II. ! heed with deep thankfulness the
message you bring me from II. feel
that ] am surrounded by men whose
principles and ambitions are those of
true servants Of the people i thank
God and win take courage.