The Daily Missoulian., 1912-08-07

the result OF study In the closet Or
the library, but from the knowledge
have gained through hard experiences
during the many years IN which, un-
der many and varied conditions,
have striven and toi,ed with men.
!, believe In a larger use OF the govern
mental power to help remedy indus
trial wrongs. BECAUSE It has been
borne In on me by actual experience
that without the exercise. OF such
power many of the wrongs will go un-
rcmedied. | believe In larger op-
portunlty for the people themselves
directly to participate In government
and to control their governmental
agents. because long experience has
taught me that without such control
many of their agents Will represent
them badly. by actual experience In
| office | have found that, as a rule, I
could secure the triumph of the causes
In which I most believed. not from the
politicians and the men who claim
an exceptional right TO speak In busi-
ness and government, but by going
over their heads and appealing direct
~ to the people themselves. am
not under the slightest delusion as to
any power that during my political
career | have ut any time possessed.
Whatever of power at any time had,
| obtained from the people. could
exercise II only SO long as. and to
the extent that, the people not merely
believed In me. but heartily backed
! me up. Whatever did as president
| was able to do only because had
the backing of the people. When on
any point | did not have that back
Ing. when on any point | differed from
tho people, 1t mattered not whether
was right or whether | was wrong.
my power vanished. | tried my best
To lead the people, To advise them,
| to tell them what | thought was right;
| IL necessary, | never hesitated to tell
| them what though they ought to
near, even though | thought 1t would
be unpleasant for them to hear IL: but
] recognized that my task was to try
| to lead them and not to drive them.
I Ia take them into my confidence. to-
| try to show them that | was right.
and then loyally and In good faith to
accept their decision | VIII do any
! thing for the people except what my
conscience tells me IL wrong and that
| ! can do Tor no man and no set OF
! men. | hold that u man cannot serve
| 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
10 continue I'm office against their VIII
/ 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
I desire leave his office and not mis-
represent them In office: and hold
that the public servant can by so do
ing better than In any other way,
serve both them and his conscience.
! Surely there never was n fight bet
ter worth making than the one In
which we are engaged. 1t little mat
tors what befals any one of is who
f"r the time being stand In the fore
front of the battle. I hope we shalt
win, and | believe that IT wa can wake
the people To what the fight really
means we shall win. Hut, win or
lose. we shall not falter. Whatever
Fate may nj the moment overtake any
of us. the movement Itself Will nor
stop, our eause is based on the
eternal principles of righteousness
aud even though we who now lead
may for the time fall In the end the
cause itsef shall triumph. Six weeks
ago, here In Chicago. | spoke to the
honest representatives of a conven-
tion which WAS not dominated by
| honest men. n convention wherein sat.
aias' majority OF men who. with
| sneering indifference Ia every prin-
| ciple or right, 50 acted as to bring to
n shameful end purity which had
been founded over haif century ago
by men In whose souls burned the
fire OF lofty endeavor. Now to you
men. who. In your turn. have come
together tn spend and be spent I'm the
endless crusade against wrong. to yoii
who face the future resolutc and con
fident, To you who strive In "a spirit
Of brotherhood for the bettermcnt Of
our nation, In you who gird yourselves
for this grent new fight In the never
ending warfare for tho good of human
kind, say In closing what In that
speech said I'm closing. We stand at
Arnageddon, and we battle for the
Lord.