The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-02-21
ROOSEVELT
tcsntInUea ifem paae 1hree.l

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Continued from PAGE Three.)
public servant, and OF every man wit
in public or in private life holds a pu
sition of leadership in thought or &C
ton, to endeavor honestly and fear
iessly to guide his fellow.countrymel
to right decisions; but emphatlcall.
dissent from the view that 1t is eithe
wise or necessary to try to devlsr
methods which under the Constitution
will automatically prevent the peopl
from deciding for themselves wha
governmental action they deem jus
and proper. 1t is impossible to inyen
Constitutional devices which will pre-
vent the popular will from being Ell
fective for wrong without also pre-
venting 1t from being effective fol
fright. The only safe course to follow
In this great American democracy II
| to provide for making the popular
judgment reallp effective. When thi'
| Is done, then 1t is our duty to sec tina
the people, having the full power, real
lie their heavy responsibility for exer
eising that power Alright. The wisdom
. framing any particular low OF this
kind is proper subject of debate
but the power OF the people to enact
the law should not be subject to de
bate, To hold the contrary view is tc
be false to the cause of the people, tc
the cause of American democracy.
Lincoln, with his clear vision, his
ingrained sense OF justice, and his
spirit of kindly friendliness to all
forecast our present struggle and saw
the way out. What he said should be
.pondered by capitalist and working
man alike. He spoke as follows u
condense):
81 hold that while man exists 1t is
his duty to improve not only his con-
didon but to assist in ameliorating
man kind. Labor is prior to and in
dependent of capital Labor is the SUI
perlor of capital, and deserves much
the higher consideration. Capital has
It's rights, which are as worthy of pro-
lection as any other rights. Nor
should this lead to war upon prop
erty. Property is the fruit OF labor.
Property is desirable. is a positive
good in the world. Let not him who is
houseless pull down the house of an
other, but let him work diligently and
build one for himself. thus by exam
pie assuring that his own shaii'be safe
from violence when btfit!%s
This last sentence Enthusiastically
shows Lincolns homely, kindly COM
mon sense. His is the attitude that
we ought. to take. He showed the
proper sense of Propagation in his rela-
tive estimates OF capital and labor. of
humanrights and ths,Tights Of wealth.
Above all, in what lie thus said, as on
so many other occasions, he taught
the indispensable lesson of the need
Of wise kindness and charity, of san.
ity and moderation. in the dealings of
men one with another
We should discriminate between
two purposes We have in view. The
first is the effort to provide what are
themselves the ends OF good govern.
ment; the second is the effort to pro-
vide proper machinery for the achieve
ment Of these ends.
The ends OF good governmental our
democracy are to secure by genuine
popular rule a high average oil moral
and material well being 3among our
citizens. Ii has been well said that
in the past we have paid attention only
to the accumulation Of prosperity, and
that from hencetotsh We must pay
equal attention to tie proper distrlbu.
ton ofprosperity. This e ,srafe. The
only prosperity worth having is that
which alects the mass of the people,
We are bound to strive for the fair
distribution of prosperity, But it be
hooveaus to remember that there is
no use IN devislng methods for the
proper distribution OF prosperity IN,
less the prosperity is there to dis
tribute. hold it to be our duty TO
see that the wage-worRer, the small
producer, the ordinary consumer, shall
get their fair share Of the benefit Of
business prosperity. But 1t either Is
or ought to be evident to every one
that business has to prosper before
anybody can get any benefit from it.
Therefore hold that he is the real
progressive, that be is the genuine
champion Of the people who endeay.