The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1912-03-21
Declares Main Issue Is: Shall Popular Government Trimp

that majority can enforce its will in the
most conservative way. 1t makes ex-
plosions unnecessary.
II would have been very proud to
have been the author of that plan, AL
though 1 want to emphasize the fact
that 1t involves no new principles, only
a new method.
~ don't mind saying, however, that
] think It unfortunate that II should
have been proposed by Colonel Roose-
welt. He is a man of such marked char
acterlstics, and his place in the political
world Is such, that he arouses intense
enthusiasm on the one hand. Because
propounded is bound to be beclouded,
and its adoption to be delayed II is
pity that anything so important should
be COMPOUNDED with any mans person
atty
Somebody Must Lead"
las regards the deans last paragraph
] can only say that / wish somebody
else whose suggestions would arouse
less antagonism had proposed It: but
nobody else did propose It, and so l had
to. am not leading this fight as
matter OF esthetic pleasure. am lead
ing because somebody must lead, or else
the fight would not be made at all.
Il prefer to work with moderate, with
rational, conservatives, provided only
that they do in good faith strive for
ward toward the light. But when they
halt and turn their backs to the light
and sit with the scorners on the seats
of reaction, then / must part company
with them.
I'VE, the people. cannot turn back.
Our aim must be steady, wise progress.
1t would be we'll II our people would
study the history OF a sister republic.
Ali the woes of France for a century and
a quarter have been due to the folly of
her people in splitting into the two
camps of unreasonable conservatism
and unreasonable radicalism. Had pre-
revolutionary rance listened to men like
Turgot, and backed them up, all would
have gone well. But the beneficiaries of
privilege, the Bourbon reactlonaries, the
down Turgot; and then found that in
stead of Him they had obtained Robes
PIERRE. They gained twenty years free
dom from all restraint and reform at
the cost of the whirlwind of the red
terror; and in their turn the unbridled
extremists Of the terror induced blind
reaction; and so. with CONFUSION and
oscillation from one extreme TO another,
with alterations of violent radlcallsm
and violent Bourbonism, the French
people went through misery toward a
shattered goal.
No Danger of Revolution.
May we profit by the experiences of
our brother republicans across the
vatcr, and 60 forward steadily. avoid
all Wild extremes, and may our
ult ra. conservatives remember that the
rule of the BourbOns brought on the
revolution, and may our would-be revo-
lutionaTiss rcmember Il at no Bourbon
was ever such a dangerous enemy Of
he people mi If freedom as the pro-
tossed friend of both. Robespierre. There
is no danger Of a revolution in this
country, but there is grave discomfort
and unrest, and in order to remove
them there IS need OF all the wisdom
and prObity and deep-seated faith in
snd purpose TO uplift humanity we
nave at our command"
In conclusion Mr.. Roosevelt said
that Americans should strive for So
Cial and industrial justice; that to
succeed leaders of INSPIRED idealism"
able to dream greatly and make their
dreams come truc, were needed: that
such leaders would be cast aside
" hen used and should not care; that
the watchword should be "spend and
be spent" that the cause was the
cause of mankind and that shame and
disgrace would be the country's por-
ton If the golden hopes OF men"
were trailed in the dust, and nothing
were done but to set the greed OF
envy against the greed of arrogance.