The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-01-10

necessity for turning all the activ
ties of the government into plan
for the amelioration of the particu
lar dependents whom they have IN
der their observation become ey
igent, and they look to the govern
ment as an instrument for imm,
ate relief.
Says Experience Teaches Him Dit
ferently.
81 am sorry to say that | hav,
had so much to do with actu"
government in the Philippines ant
in Washington, that l cannot join il
the glowing promise that govern
ment action can remedy all tn
evils Of poverty, sin, disease ant
| ignorance as set forth in the pre-
pectuses of an ambitious politica
party. | cannot help asking by
what means these reforms are t.
| be accomplished except by more uni
form Endorsement Of the law and by
making the government more eco
nomical and more efficient.
rs there any better way of help
ing the people than to have the
tax money spent economically to ac
complish the purpose directed by
law? Is this not greatly more in
their interest than the eloquent eX
| ploitation of impracticable theories
of reform that can never be carried
out by governmental machinery, but
must depend for their realization
upon the improvement and strength,
ening of individual character?
And thus | find myself out OF
tune, because | cannot resist the de.
sire TO ask for plans and speciflca-
tons, for actual statutes to be the
things which are promised. Yet the
mere query, the mere attitude Z
inquiry puts one at once in the
ranks of the doubters, dubs one at
once as a reactlonary, places him
at once among the aristocrats and
prevents his being treated or re-
garded as friend of the people.
Another feature of this period
has been the reckless misuse of the
press and the magazines for the
misrepresentation of motives of men
engaged in public life. The issues
arising as TO the tariff upon print
paper and also upon the increase of
ter put those who owned and controlled
such agencies in the attitude of
partisans, and many of them i'm
proved their opportunities to assault
those who opposed their particular
interests.
Says Public Was MisIed.
The public has 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
| could not help it, or were really
done by somebody else, and that, on
the whole, | was unfrendly to the
people.
Il am not complaining of this
situation. / am hopeful that as time
rolls by the facts may disclose them
selves and may lead people to be-
lieve that more real reform has
been accomplished in my administra-
ton than will ever flow from an at.
tempt 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 elimi-
nate by statute all sin, injustice.
poverty and suffering.
Sees End Of Taftphobia.
1T sratifies me to feel that my
going out of office will remove this
cause, will end the Taftphobia thu.
has governed the action Of
in influential positions, and will
tend to end those divisions that
have been caused by personal rea-
sons rather than on principles. There
is much of the pei about what
is called insurgency. If one man adj
Vocated a principle it has been all
right, because he has shown him.
self an insurgent. On the other
hand, if another advocated exactly
the same thing it had to be con
demned because of the source from
which 1t came. Now, of course, this
Is unreasonable, but it is a real
feature of the situation. ,. -...
Il go out Of office with deep an.
probation of the honors / have en-.
Joyed, with profound gratitude TO
the American people and without
any feeling of bitterness against
any one. | shall retain a very
earnest desire as private citizen
10 help my country and my fell
low men in the struggle for continu-
ance OF free effective government.
Consolation in coIonePs Defeat.
We were beaten in the last cleo
tlon. We ran third in the race. VIII,
Is 1t that We gather here with so
much spirit and with so little dis.
and humiliation? Is it
not that in spite of the defeat re-
corded at the election in November
we were still victorious in saving
our country from an administration
whose policy involved the sapping of
the foundation of democratic, consti-
tutlonal, representative government
whose appeals were calculated to
arouse class hatred that has here.
tolore been the ruin Of popular gov
nrnment, and whose contempt for the
limitations of constitutional law and
guarantee of civil liberty. promised
chaos and anarchy?
The result of the Chicago con.
Vention was a triumph for the per-
manence of republican institutions
the Importance of which cannot be
exaggerated. We meet i'm no shirt
OF despair, but rather to rejoice in q
victory for law and order. 1t is true
that we were defeated at the polls
by our old time opponent, the demo.
cratic party.