La Junta tribune., 1912-03-02
Delivered at the Republican nxmoM Banquet Ia Deava, fsbva
l2n---licons IadH"Psst ehras ne Our IRsDkdba,
bd Not Our 1sst he Task Of Our Day, he Issues Of
Or Tine nta b or cseen"

our strongest minds and stoutest
hearts are engaged In business today y
Just as In the worlds past its strong.
est minds and stoutest hearts were
engaged In war. And just In such
warlike times II was not wise for
nations TO Danish great soldiers or
cripple their genius. nor yet permit
them to become masters OF the
country they served. no today II is
not wise for us to drive out our
great business men or paralyze their
strength. nor yet to let them rule
or oppress us
We want them to use their unc5 m
mon powers for the common good but
We do not want them to Use the
common good for their selfish ends
History shows that strong men. wheth.
er captains OF bayoneted armies or
captains OF financed industries. II un-
restrained. use both to satisfy their
growing hunger for power. which be.
comes greater the more II IL fed.
whereas their strength. when regulat-
I'd and controlled, makes for the
added power Of the nation and the
larger prosperity Of the people. We
do not want to waste that strength.
we do not want II to make us its
bondsmen: We do want To make Il
useful to the republic and thus truly
useful TO itself DO not starve the
strength OF our strong men. but keep
that strength always under the con.
troll Of the greater strength OF the
combined people-thst is counsel Of
experience and common sense.
Common sense and common homes.
~ WAS Lincoln's statesmanship and
common sense and common honesty
Is the only statesmanship we need
today. Common sense does not mean
that We shall do only ~ our fathers
did under their conditions. but that
we shall do the wise thing under our
conditions. The American people
used to b. makers. not followers Of
precedent We are an unprecedented
people living among unprecedented
surroundings. We Amertcans are .
,nlnslinG Of races new TO history set
down amh conditions new to civi.
lixatton.
80 we have blasei our own path.
way and set up our own landmarks.
And thus Il 10 that. until rscent
ysaFs. We lead human progress h
libefty. Ia sovsenaeat. h iAAustry.
II bustusss. But N The last few
1sca1ss etAer natioas have safpasssA
~ 10 aii Of thess. This u beaauss.
aitAeugA in our beginaiass ws cut
frss fron The worlds past and tssst.
- or own iatslligeacs aaA consct
sscs To find . new aaA better way.
ws latteriy have lied ourselves ~ 70
or own past 10 or NV mAlins and
thus are trcsding the oid.timc path
ws had made through our oid.time
stsfosadlngs.
Yet those olA ssrroundinGs changed
1aventloa wrought miracles. Niasty
niliieas are noss compact today than
aaasey tAousaa1 oace wsss. TAs
osthod u doias ~ business q
thses closely ksk niIIioas = jsss ~
0ets.oat esou that q tho scattered
oaoeey theusaal. ~ tAs methods a
ssoolytas . great no1ssn siy ~ ~
esesat fron tAess q ss0Slytas . ~
~ ead.ios village. Organizations q
caVltal sasass1 10 ia1ustsy have
grovA greater aal slnpasf sxactty -
eo00unlestiea hAs grown wilse an1
eeeess. ~ ~ sse1s a ~ peoDla
)ofoos aaA 0efe ee0pjex.
Thus, ess eva peegfsss ~ bu1t
- . esslitisa ~ . pesesso-tAs