Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-06-24

teenth centuries witnessed the strug-
gle against inherited political priv
ilege. resulting in the adoption Of
universal suffrage and in the estab-
llishment Of the principle that each
individual has a right TO work out
his own destiny in his own way
With this political and economic
freedom has come the wonderful ma
iterial development of the past fifty
lyears. But new conditions bring
new problems Abundant material
progress, increasing the compleXity
Of our industrial life. has made pos
siblc. in ways unknown to our an
cestOrs, the monopoly Of economic
opportunity Unregglated individ-
iual action has resulted in combina-
tions of the economically strong for
the destruction of he economically
weak, and for the oppression of the
consumer The freedom of the in
progress. is too often with narrow
ing opportunity changed to that
pitiful mockery Of freedom-the lib
erty to starve or work day after day
for an inadequate wage hopeless,
amid unsanitary and debasing con-
diticns. Too often, instead Of equal
lily Of freedom and opportunity,
there has resulted from unlicensed
individual action an inequality both
of freedom and opportunity. 1t is
from this cause that the age-long-
struggle against special privilege
and monopoly has in our day enter
cd on a new phase The people of
this country believe in individual
initiative and individual response
bility But their awakened sense
Of social injustice and heir quicken
ed perception of social duty, causes
them to demand that government
shall prevent anti-social action on
the part Of the individual and leads
ifhem to look to the government 20 re-
store even-handed social justice and
to widen the industrial opportunity
of the average man.
The times are critical. not only for
the republican party but for the
country. A great and democratic
people, conscious of their own
strength, are cropping for the sou
ton Of the most difficult Of human
problems-the adjustment OF in
dividual economic liberty to modern
conditions by necessary govern
mental regulation and action. We
need leadership of 10 ordinary kind.
/ He who would aspire to guide the
lcountry through the next few years
must be strong mana man OF ac-
ton The friends of special privil-
ege are neither few nor weak. Our
danger is not that we shall have in
hhe presidency a man who Will dare
to- act vigorously in the face Of pro-
test, and criticism, but that we shall
have some well-intentioned man who
will fail to act vigorously when Wig
orous action is needed to protect
the public interests.
Eve need man of courage. Two
types of men are the curse OF de-
moeracy-the demagogue who fears
to offend the populaoe, and the man
of respectability who fears TO offend
the class with whom he assoccites.
and by whose narrow outlook he
Judge every action. These two
types, outwardly dissimilar, are es-
tentially the same. II Is Imperative
to have in the White House a man
who will not fear to tell great
, railroad official on one hand, or the
: most influential labor leader on the
other, that he is inimical 10 the pub
: lie welfare-a man who, without a
) moments hesitation. will run the
risk. if he believes his action TO be
e right and necessary, of offending
2 the people OF an entire state. or the
7 members Of a particular race
; That Theodore Roosevelt has tht
y essen, ial qualities OF leadership
have mentioned. his bitteres
J enemies will not deny. BuV he alst
4 has that without which effective
? leadership in democracy i impos
/. sible, the instinct which enables
1 him 10 perceive the concrete reform
|. in which the forces in rhe nation
!. which make for progress can be. TO
i the time successfully conseerated
J Because Of this instinct, and becaus
s of this intellectual ability and mar
y velous will power. he has made him
y self the personal embodiment 0
Z. Continued on page three-)