Imperial Valley press., 1912-08-08

men. as those who serve, not class,
but a nation.
The working people of America-if
they must be distinguished from the
minority that constitutes the rest OF
it-are. of course. the backbone OF
the nation. No law that safeguards
their life, that improves the physical
and moral conditions under which
they live, that makes their hours oI
labor rational and tolerable, tha;
gives them freedom to act in theil
own interest, and that protects then
where they cannot protect themselves
can properly be regarded as class
legislation or as anything but as 3
measure taken in the interest of the
whole people, whose partnership il
right action we are trying to establish
and make real and practical. 1t is il
this spirit that we shall act if We
are genuine spokesmen of the whole
country.
The rule of the people is no idle
phrase, those who believe in it, as
who does not that has caught the
real spirit of America? believe that
there can be no rule of right without
it; that right in politics is made III
of the interests of everybody, and ev
erybody should take part in the action
that is to determine It. We have
been keen for presidential primaries
and the direct election of United
States senators, because we wanted
the action of the government to be
determined by persons whom the peo
pie had actually designed as men
whom they were ready to trust and
follow. We have been anxious tha,
all campaign contributions and expen
dltures should be disclosed to the pub
lie IN fullest detail, because we re
garded the influences which govern
campaigns to be as much a part OF
the peoples business as anything else
connected with their government. We
are working toward a very definite OBJ
Ject, the universal partnership in pub
lie affairs upon which the purity O,
politics and its aim and spirit de
pend.
| do not know any greater question
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 de-
Velop, as we'll as preserve, our water
powers and must add great water
ways to the transportation facilities
OF the nation. to supplement the rail
ways within our borders as well as
upon the isthmus. We must revive
our merchant marine, too, and fill the
seas again with our own fleets VIZ
must add to our present postoffice ser
wee parcels post as complete as
tnat OF any other nation. We mus,
look TO the health of our people upon
every hand, as well as hearten them
with justice and opportunity. This is
the constructive work of government
rms Is the policy that has a vision
ana hope and that looks to serve
mankind
with tregard TO the DEVELOPMENT
OF greater and more numerous wa.
terways and the building up of a mer
chant marine. we must follow great
constructive lines and not fall back
nEon The cheap device of bounties
and subsidies. In the case of the
MISSISSIPPI river, that great central
artery of our trade, it is plain tha,
the federal government must build
ana maintain the levees and keer
the great waters in harness for the
general use. 1t is plain. too, that vast
sums OF money must be spent to de-
Velop new waterways where trade will
De most served and TRANSFORMATION
most readily cheapened by them. Such
expenditures are no largess on the
part OF the government; they are ma.
tlonal investments.
me question of a merchant marine
turns back to the tariff again tn
which all roads seem to lead and tc
our registry laws, which. if counJed
with the tariff, might almost be SIN.
poSed 10 have been intended TO take
me American flag off the seas.
Inc very fact that we have at last
taken the Panama canal seriously in
mana and are vigorously pushing if
toward completion is eloquent Of orr
ieaWakened interest in international
trade. We are not building the canal
and pouring out million upon million
OF money upon its construction moro.
ly 10 establish a water connection he.
tween the two coasts of the continan+
important and desirable as that NAV
De- particularly from the point of
view OF naval defense. It is meant
10 De great international highway.
IL would be a little ridiculous if we
should build il and then have no shins
sent through it, There have been
years when not single ton of freight
passed through the great Suez canal
In an American bottom, so emptv are
tne seas OF our ships and Seamen We
must mean TO put an end to that kim
OF thing or we would not be cutting
Il new canal at our very doors merely
for the use of our men of war We
snail not manage the revival by the
mere paltry device of tolls. We must
build and buy ships in competition
with the world. We can do it if we
Will but give ourselves leave.
We should go into this campaign
confident of only one thing-confident
OF what we want to do if entrusted
with the government. 1t is not par
tlsan fight we are entering upon. We
are happily excused from personal at
lacks upon opponents and from all
general indictments against the men
to us. The facts are patent
- SfOi SDouy we uO llOI nave TO prove
them; the more frank among our op-
ponents admit them. Our thinking
must be constructive from start to
finish. We must show that we under
stand the problems that confront us.
and that we are soberly minded to
deal with them, applying to them not
nostrums and notions, but hard sense
and good courage.