The Washington times., 1912-10-31
ROOSEVELT CHEERED BY THRONG OF VOTERS
AS HE SPEAKS AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

LANO ~ IVA
In the shape necessary to make them
available for meeting. the living issues
Of our own day. We decline to be
bound By the empty. little, cut-and-
dried formulas of bygone PHILOSOPHERS.
useful once. perhaps. but useless now.
Not Ruled by Dead Past.
Our purpose Is to shackle greedy
cunning 40 we shackle brutal force,
and we are not to be diverted from this
purpose by the appeal to the dead dog
mac Of a vanished past. We propose to
lift the burdens from the lowly and the
weary. from the poor and the oppress-
cd. We propose to stand for the sacred
rights Of childhood and womanhood.
Nay. more. we propose to see that man
hood Is not crushed out OF the men
who toll by excessive hours Of labor,
by underpayment. by injustice and OPP
preston. When this purpose can only
be secured by the collective action Of
our people through their Government
agencies. we propose so to secure II.
We brush aside the arguments OF those
Of some formula about States rights
or about the history Of liberty being
the history Of the limitation OF Gov
ernmental power or about the duty OF
meaning OF the Constitution.
We are for human rights, and we
intend to work for them In efficient
fashion. Where they can be best OBJ
tained BY the application OF the doc
States rights. Where. In order to OBJ
tain them It Is necessary to invoke the
power OF the nation, then We shall In
woke to Its uttermost limits that mighty
we are for liberty, But we are for
the liberty OF the oppressed and not
for the liberty Of the oppressor to op-
press the weak and to bind burdens on
the shoulders OF the heavy-laden. 1t
power Of the Government when only by
the power Of the Government can we
curb the greed that sits In high places,
when only by the exercise Of the Gov.
eminent can Es sTai5 the he. l sMs s, and
I'VE care for facts and not for for
mulas. We care for deeds and not for
words. We recognise no sacred right
right to work injustice.
Stand for Constitution.
I'VE stand for the Constitution. We
recognise that one Of Its most useful
functions Is the protection of property.
But we will not consent to make Of the
Constitution a fetish for the protection
Of fossilized wrong. We call the atten-
ton Of those who thus interpret It to
the fact that in that great instrument
Of justice. life. and liberty, are put on a
full level with property; indeed, are
enumerated ahead Of 1t In the order OF
their importance.
But where the judges claim the right to
make our laws by finally interpreting
them. by finally deciding whether or
not we have the power to make them,
e aen we fa" ,se right Ne osS
men, no matter what their official po-
sition may be, to usurp the right which
is ours. the right which 10 the peoples.
We recognize In neither court nor Con.
override the will Of the people express
ed with due elaboration In orderly
fashion and through the forms OF law.
I'VE Progressives hold that the words
Of the Declaration Of Independence. a.
strued and applied by Abraham Lin.
coin, are to be accepted as real and not
as empty phrases. We believe that In
very truth this Is a government by the
ton is theirs, that the courts are theirs
that all the Governmental agents and
agencies are theirs. We believe that ali
| true leaders of the people must fear.
lessly stand for righteousness and
honesty. must fearlessly tell the pc ople
what Justice and honor demand.
People Must Have Power.
But we no less strongly insist thai
II Is for the people themselves finally
to decide all questions OF public polio,
| and to have their decision made eff
| fective.
I'm the platform formulated by th'
Progressive party we have set forth
| clearly and specifically our faith In eV
cry vital point at Issue before this peo
pie. We have declared our position OF
the trusts and on the tariff. on the ma
chinery for securing genuine popular
government; or the method Of meeting
| the needs OF the farmer. of the husi
ness man and Of the man who TOLL
| railroad, In the factory OF In the shop
| There 10 not a promise we have mad,
which cannot be kept. There Is not I
promise we have made that Will not b,
| kept Our platform 10 a covenant Will
| the people OF the United States, and !
| we are given the power We Will live VI
| to that covenant in letter and In spirit
I'VE know that there are In life in
| justices which we are powcrless to rem
| edy. But we know also that there I
much Injustice which can be remedied
and this injustices we intend to remedy
We know that the long path leadint
traversed at once. or In day, or In
1