Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-08-07
improving Our Rivers.
SEVEr,f'

With regard to the Development OF
greater and more numerous waterways
and the building up Of a merchant ma
rine, we must follow great constructive
lines and not fall back upon the cheap
device of bonpties and subsidies. In
the cas- Of the Mississippi river, that
great central artery Of our trade, 1t Is
plain that the federal government must
build and maintain the levees and keep
the great waters in harness for the
general use.
The question Of a merchant marine
turns back to the tariff again, to which
all roads seem to lead, and to our reg
lstry laws, which, II coupled with the
tariff, might almost be supposed to
iavn been intended TO take the Amert.
can flag of the seas. Bounties are not
necessary II you will but undo somel
Of the things that have been donsA
without a great merchant marine wei
cannot take our rightful place In thei
commerce Of the world. Merchantsl
who must depend upon the carriers OIL
rival mercantile nations to carry their
goods to market are at a disadvantage
In International trade too manifest to
need to be pointed out, and our mer-l
chants will not long suffer themselves
ought not to suffer themselves-to
be placed at such a disadvantage. Our
Industries have expanded to such a
point that they Will burst their jackets
If they cannot find a free outlet to the
markets of the world, and they cannot
find such an outlet unless they be
given ships of their own to carry their
goods-ships that will go the routes
they want them to go-and prefer the
interests Of America in their sailing
orders and their equipment. Our do
nestle markets nc longer suffice. We
need foreign markets. That is an
other force hat B going to break the
tariff down. The tariff vas once q
bulwark; now 1t Is & dam. For trade
Is reciprocal; we cannot sell unless we
also buy.
The very fact that we have at last
taken the Panama canal seriously in
hand and are vigorously pushing 1t to-
ward completion is eloquent Of our re-
awakened interest In International
trade. We are not building the canal
and pouring out million upon million OF
money upon it's construction merely to
establish a water connection between
the two coasts Of the continent, i'm
portant and desirable as that may be,
particularly from the point Of view
Of naval defense. 1t is meant to be a
great international highway. 1t would
be q little ridiculous If we should build
it and then have no ships to send
through 1t. There have been years
when not a single ton of freight pass
ed through the great Suez canal In an
American bottom, so empty are the
seas Of our ships and anne
Industrial Education.
There is another duty which the
Democratic party has shown itself
great enough and close enough to The
people to perceive, the duty Of govern
ment to share in promoting agrlcul-
tural, Industrial, vocational education
in every way possible within Its con-
stitutional powers, No other platform
has given this intimate vision of n par
TVS duty. Education Is part of the
great task Of conservation, part OF
the task of renewal and of perfected
power.
We have set ourselves a geeat pro-
gram, and 1t will be a great party that
carries 1t out. 1t must be a party 49,
out ~entangl1ng alliances with any spe-
| cial interest whatever. 1t must have
the spirit and the point of view of the
new age. Men are turning away from
the Republican party as organized I'M
der its old leaders because they found
that 1t was not free, that 1t WAS entan-
gled, and they are turning to US be-
cause they deem us free to serve them.
We should go into this campaign
confident of only one thing-conldent
Of what we want to do If intrusted
with the government. 1t Is not a parti-
san fight we are entering upon. We
are happily excused from personal at
tacks upon opponents and from all gem
eral indictments against the men OPP
posed to us. The facts are patent to
everybody; we do not have to prove
them; the more frank among our oppo-
nents admit them. Our thinking must
be constructive from start to finish
We must show that we understand the
problems that confront rs and that we
are soberly minded to deal with them,
applying to them not nOstrums and no.
tons, but hard sense and good courage.
A Government For Public Good.
A presidential campaign may easily
degenerate into a mere personal con-
test and so lose its real dignity M
significance. There is no i~ndispensa-
bic man. The government will not
collapse and go to pieces If any one
of the gentlemen who are seeking to
be fntrusted with its guidance should
be left at home. But men are instru-
ments. We are as important as the
cause we represent, and in order TO
be important must really represent q
cause. What is our cause? The peo-
pies cause? That is easy to say, but
what does 1t mean? The common ns
against any particular interest what
eyerl Yes, bot that, too, needs trans
lation into acts ard policies. We rep
resent the desire 20 yet up an 5nen-
tagled government, a government that
cannot be used for PIRATE purposes,
either in the field OF htsness or in
the field of politics; a govsrnlnrHt that
81 -. 1901 49, r-a 80 ~ IKE NJ