Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-03-05
VICE PRES IDENT THOMAS MARSHALL

have not stopped to conserve the ex
ceeding bounty of nature without
which our genius for enterprise would
have been worthless and ilnpotent,
scOrning to be careful, shamefully
prodigal as we'll as admirably efficient
We have been proud of our industrial
achievements, but we have not hith.
erto stopped thoughtfully enough to
count the human cost, the cost of lives
snuffed out, of energies overtaxed and
broken, the fearful physical and spir-
ftual cost to- the men and women and
children upon whom the dead weight
and burden OF it all has fallen pitiless~
~ the years through The groans and
agony of it all had not yet reached
our ears, the solemn. moving under
tone of our life, coming up out of the
mines and factories and out of every
home where the struggle had it's init
mate and familiar seat With the
great government went many deep Sc
cret things which we too long delayed
to look into and scrutinize with can
did, fearless eyes. The great govern
ment we loved has too often been
made use Of, for private and selfish
purposes, and those who used it had
forgotten the people.
Duty Of Americans Outlined.
At last a vision has been vouchsafed
US of our life as whole. We see the
bad with the good, the debased and
decadent with the sound and vital.
With this vision we approach new af-
fairs. Our duty is to cleanse, to re-
consider. to restore to correct the evil
without impairing the good. to purify
and humanize every process of our
common life without weakening or
sentimentalizing it. There has been
something crude and heartiess and nn-
feeling in our haste to succeed and be
great Our thought has been. LET ev-
cry man look out for himself; let ev-
cry generation look out for ITSELF"
while we reared giant machinery which
made it impossible that any but those
who stood at the levers of control
should have chance to look out for
themselves. We had not forgotten our
morals. We remembered we'll enough
that we had set up policy which was
meant to serve the hnmbIest as we'll as
the most powerful, with an eye single
to the standards of justice and fair
play. and remembered it with pride.
But we were very needless and In q
hurry to be great
We have come now to the sober sec.
ond thought The scales of Needless
ness have fallen from our eyes. We
| have made up our minds to square ev-
| cry process of our national life again
with the standards we so proudly set
up at the beginning and have always
carried at our hearts, Our work is a
work Of restoration.
| Things to BE Accomplished.
We have itemized with some degree
Of particularly the things that ought
to be altered, and here are some Of the
chief items: A tariff which cuts us of
from our proper part in the commerce
of the world. violates the just princi
pies Of taxation and makes the govern
ment facile instrument in the hands
OF private interests; banking and cur
rency system based upon the necessity
of the government to sell it's bonds fifty
years ago and perfectly adapted to con
centrating cash. and restricting credits
an industrial system which. take it on
all its sides, financial as well as ad
mfnistrative, holds capital in leading
strings, restricts the liberties and lin
its the opportunities of labor and ex
ploits without renewing or conserving
the natural resources Of the country "a
body of agricultural activities never
yet given the efficiency Of great bust
ness undertakings or served as i!