Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-08-08
Industrial Education.


Democratic party has shown itself
great enough and close enough to the
people to perceive, the duty of govern
ment to share in promoting agricul-
tural, industrial, vocational education
in every way possible within its con-
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 it will be great party that
carries it 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 un-
der its old leaders because they found
that it was not free, that it 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-confident
of what we want to do if intrusted
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 op-
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
tions, but hard sense and good courage.
A Government For Public Good.
A presidential campaign may easily
degenerate into mere personal con-
test and so lose its real dignity and
significance. There is no indispensa
BILE man. The government will no
collapse and go to pieces if any one
Of the gentlemen who are seeking to
be intrusted with its 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 cause? The peo-
ple's cause? That is easy to say, but
what does it mean? The common as
against any particular interest what
ever? Yes, but that too, needs trans
lation into acts and policies. We rep
resent the desire to set up an unen-
tagled government, a government that
cannot be used for private purposes,
either in the field of business or in
the field Of politics; government that
will not tolerate the use of the organ
personal aims and ambitions of any
individual and that will not permit
legislation to be employed to further
any private interest. 1t is a great con-
ception, but | am free to serve it, 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 to 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-
tion which nominated me: know The
temper of the country that lay back
Of that convention and spoke THROUGH
it. I heed with deep thanlfulness the
message Won bring me from it. feel
that | am surrounded by men whose
principles and ambitions are those of
true servants of the people. | thank
Sod and will take con-age.