Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05

education among the common people for
the bene..t of the common people against
the poison of class hatred, the fanaticisfn
of unbalanced enthusiasm and the sophis-
try Of demagogic promise"
y In the course Of his speech the Presi-
s.dent made his first public reference 10
GCol Roosevelt since the close OF the cam
&paign asserting that probably 1,Wp.Vo
voters normally republican cast their bal
lots for Mr.. Wilson, ''in order to avert
the danger Of Mr.. Roosevelts election.
Begins With Touch of Humor.
Tho President said. in part:
: 1T Is not usual for the deceased to give
Every full expression to his feelings at the
wake; but remember that in one of
..Boucicaults Irish dramas the corpse was
: sufficiently revived to partake OF the
lsl,o1ttd refreshment and became the CHIEF
participant In the festivities. A few open
ling remarks directed to the character or
.Sthe deceased and the manner OF his tax
vring off may not, therefore. be inappropri-
Asate.
what was the political disease of which
Il died? I am hopeful that when histo-
:rians conduct their post-mortem II may
he found that my demise was due to cir
cumstances over which had no great
control. and to a political cataciys SIN
which / could hardly have anticipated or
avoided; but whether TINS ne true or n o,';
even friendly critics are able to point OUT
personal reasons why II was thar, thoush
Il went IN, I also went out. with large ma
&iorities.
Il am an aristocrat. and that have no
sympathy with the common people. Now,
I don't think 1t is true. L think am as
>sympathetic with the common people, as
earnestly DESTROYS OF their happiness, as
Ianxious to see that they have Justice as
amy one. I believe most profoundly that
popular government is the pest govern.
ment. and / am greatly concerned that
ND Ia
giving to the people at large the pest
measure of Individual liberty on the one
Thand. and the greatest practicai emcacy
sin government on the other II may De
tsthat in nv earnest desire to make gov
~-ernment efficient have not always ex-
.yplained that l believed that to make gov
~-ernment efficient is to work directly IN
ithe interest of the common people
Era of Unrest and Agitation.
Ia My adm: nistration has come and gone
Sin a period of unrest and agitation for
something intangible. which it is difficult
definitely 70 describe. We have lived
during the last four years. and are liv-
ling now in an atmosphere OF strenuous
Recommendations of certain evils and loud
Ssaspira tons for an ideal state in which
~fhe common people are to become happier,
ssihe poor and the oppressed are TO &C
squire property and cease suffering, and
s.omplished through the agency of gov
AsrnrleDt.
E THE accumulation of swollen fortunes
during the two decades preceding. and
sJuany of them by violation of the anti
~ trust law, or the an,i-rebate law, aroused
-. feeling of just indignation. and set the
sdune to public addresses. Denunciations
sof the rnalefacto-s of wealth and promises
sof rec:ifying such inequalities by govern
.lnental means rang pleasantly in the ears
Eof the people. They made for the popu-
,1ar.ty of those who produced the sweet
tunes assuring better conditions and a
fycomplete social reform al by the means
.$ot election and of governmental action.
?. Then. too. in the material Improvement
siu the large amount of wealth devoted
rnow TO education and philanthropy,
Sthere has been aroused a most COM
mendable interest in the poor and the
suffering. So intensely enthusiastic So
s--cial workers become that they lose their
@sense of proportion. and forget the inter-
srest of those who are not dependents and
yet who make UP the great majority of
sthe common people.
< ITO these enthusiasts, however, the
necessity for tuning all the activities of
1ihe government into plans for the
sameIioration of the particular dependents
Whom they have under their observation
sbecomes exigent, and they look to the
government as an instrument for Inn
mediate relief Now l am sorry to say
shat ] have had so much to do with
sactual government In the Philippines and
san Washington that l cannot join In the
sElowing promise that government action
Ian remedy all Of the evils of poverty.
~sin. disease and ignorance as set forth
IN the prospectuses OF an amb tious
political party. l cannot help asking by
what means these reforms are to be ac-
-eomplished, except by more uniform en-
iorcement Of the law and by making the
Government more economical and more
efficient.
Economy and Honesty.
is there any better way of helping the
people than to have the tax money spent
economically to accomplish the purpose
dictated by law? Is this not greatly
more in their interest than the eloquent
exploitation of impracticable theories of
reform that can never be carried out by
governmental machinery, but must de-
pend for their realization upon the inn
provement and strengthening OF individ-
1ual character?
= And thus / find myself out of tune.
because / cannot resist the desire to ask
for plans and specifications, for actual
statutes to do the things which are prom
Used. Yet the mere query, the mere at
titude of inquiry puts one at once in the
ranks of the doubters dubs one at once
as reactionary. places him at once
among the aristocrats and prevents his
being treated or regarded as a friend or
the people
Z. Another feature of this period has
been the reckless misuse of the press
.and the magazines for the misrepresenta-
tion of motives OF men engaged in public
life. The issues arising as to the tarln
upon print paper and also upon increase
of postage for Second-class mail matter
put those who owned and controlled such
agencies in the attitude OF partisans and
many of them improved their opportuni-
ties to assault those who opposed their
particular interests.
The public have not been content to
estimate and weigh the things done at
their face value, but they have accepted
hostile statements that good things were
done either with an improper motive. or
because l could not help il. or We're really
done by somebody else, and that on the
whole I was unfriendly TO the people.
Hopeful of the Future.
Il am not complaining OF this situation.
j am hopeful that as time rolls by the
facts may disclose themselves and may
lead people to believe that more real
reform has been accomplished in my adj
ninistration than will ever flow from an
attempt to put into practical operation
the promises which have been made in
recent party platforms To make the rich
moderately poor and the poor moderately
rich and TO eliminate by statute all sin,
Injustice. poverty and suffering
1T gTatifies me to feel that my going
out of Office will remove the cause, will
end the 'Taftphobia' that has governed