The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-08-06
THE FARMER: AUGUST 6. 1912

many of tEeir agents will represent them badly. By actual experience in office I have found that, as a rule. I 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.
 'I am not under the slightest deiusion as to any power that during my polft- 1cal career have at any time possessed. Whatever of power at any time had I obtained from the people. I could exercise 1t only so long as and to the extent that the people not merely be- lieved in me, but heartily backed me up. Whatever did as president was able to do only because had the back ing of the people. When on any point did not have that backing, when on any point differed from the people, 1t mattered not whether I was right or whether was wrong, my power van tshed. tried my best to lead the peo pie, to advise them. to tell them what I thought was right; if necessary I never hesftated to tell them what I thought they ought to hear, even though 1t would be unpleasant for them to hear it, but I recognized that my task was to try to lead them and not to drive them, to take them into my conf1- dence, to try to show them that was right and then Loyalty and in good faith to accept their decision. I will do any, ho conscience tells me is wrong, and that can do for no man and no set of men. I hold that man cannot serve the people well unless he serves his con- science, but hold also that where his conscience bids him refuse to do what the people desire he should not try to continue in office against their will. Our government system should be so shaped that the public servant, when he cannot conscientiously carry out the wishes of the people, shall at their desire leave bis office and not misrep- resent them in office, and hold that the public servant can by so doing bet ter than in any other way serve both them and his conscience.
 Surely there never was a fight better worth making than the one in which we are engaged. It little matters what befalls any one of us who for the time being stands in the forefront of the bat tie I hope we shall win, and believe that if we can wake the people to what the fight really means we shall win. But, win or lose, we shall not falter. Whatever fate may at the moment IyA my s>f 1p6 lA will not stop. Our cause Is based on the eternal principles of righteousness, and even though we who now lead may for the time fail fin the end the cause itself shall triumph. Six weeks ago, here in Chicago, spoke to the honest repre- sentatives of convention which was not dominated by honest men, con vention wherein sat- alas, A majority of men who, with sneering indifference to every principle of right, so acted as to bring to shameful end party which had been founded over half a century ago by men in whose souls 1 burned the ire of lofty eHdeavor. Now | to you men who in your turn have come together to spend and he spent 1 in the endless crusade against wrong, to you who face the future .resolute i and confident. to you who strive in a spirit of brotherhood for the better ment of our nation, to you who gird 1 yourselves for this great new fight in the never ending warfare for the good l of humankind, say in closing what in that speech said in closing We stand l at Armageddon. and we battle for the Lord"