The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-08-07
WILSON'S SPEECH
Of ACCEPTANCE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE THREE)

did these gentlemen get control Oh
these things. Who handed our econ
omic laws over to them for legls-
lative ana contractual alteration?
We have in these disclosures an
other view of the tariff, still another
proof that, not the people OF the Uni
ted States but only very small num-
Der of them have been partners in
that legislation.
The So called labor question, is
question only because We have not
vet found the rule of right in ad-
iusting the interests of labor and
capital. Here again, the sense OF
universal partnership must come into
play if we are to act like statesmen,
as those who serve, not a class, but
nation.
The working people of America
if tney must be distinguished from
the minority that constitutes the rest
OF it-afe, OF course, the backbone OF
the nation. No law that safeguards
their life that improved the physical
and moral conditions under which
they live, that makes their hours Oh
labor rational and tolerable, that CIV
es them freedom to act in their own
interests, and that protects them
where they cannot protect themselves
can properly be regarded as class
legislation or as anything, but
measure taken in the interest of the
whole people, whose partnership in
right action was are trying to estaD-
lish and make real and practical
1t is in this spirit that we shall act
if We are genuine spokesmen of the
whole country.
In dealing with the complicated
and difficult question of the reform
of our banking and currency laws, II
is plain that we ought to consult
very many persons besides the bank
ers, but because they do not neces-
sarily comprehend the business OF the
country Notwithstanding they are in
dspensable servants of it and may
do vast deal to make it hard or
easy. No mere bankers plan VIII
meet the requirements, no matter
how honestly conceived. 1t should
We A merchants and farmers plan
as well, elastic in the hands of those
who use it as an indispensable part
OF their daily business.
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 thell
life. We are not even their partners
1t is our duty, as trustees, to make
whatever arrangement of government
will be most serviceable TO thelI
freedom and development. Here
again, We are to set up the rule ol
justice and of right.
Il do not know any greater ques
ton than that of conservation. We
have been a spendthrift nation and
must now husband what we have
left We must do more than that
We must develop, as we'll as pre-
serve our water powers and must
add great waterways to the transpor-
tation facilities of our nation, to sup
plement the railways within our Dor
ders as well as upon the lsthmus
We must revive our merchant ma
rine too, and fill the seas again with
our own fleets. We must add to oul
present postoffice service parcels
post as complete as that of any 9TH
er nation. We must look to the
health OF our people upon every hand
as we'll as hearten them with justice
and opportunity. This is the con
structive work of government. This
is the policy that has vision and
hope and that looks to serve man
kind.
with regard to the development
of greater and more numerous water
ways and the building of merchant
malipe we must follow great con-
structive lines and not fall back up
on the cheap device of bounties and
subsidies. In the case of the Missis-
sippi 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 be spent to de-