The Washington herald., 1914-02-01
Former President Outlines Conditions United States When
He Entered White House and Of Steps He Took to
Insure People the 'New Freedom"

one of the vital questions with which az
of the Nation toward the great corpora
tons Men who understand and practice
the deep underlying philosophy OF the
Lincoln school of American political
thought are necessarily Hamiitonian In
their belief in a strong and efficient Ma
tionaI Government and Jeffersonian in
their belief in the people as the ultimate
authority. and in The welfare OF the peo-
pie as the end of Government.
The men who first applied the ex-
IRENE Democratic theory in American
life were. like Jefferson. ultra-individual-
lists. for at that time what was demanded
by our people was the largest liberty for
The individual During the century that
had elapsed since jefferson became Presi-
dent the need had been exactly reversed.
There had been in our country riot OF
individualistic materialism. under which
complete freedom for the individual-that
ancient license which President Wilson,
century after the term was excusable, has
called the New" Freedom-turned out
in practice to mean perfect freedom for
the strong to wrong the weak. The total
absence of governmental control had led
to a portentous growth in the financial
and industrial world both Of natural in
dividuaIs and of artificial Individuals
that is. corporations In no other coun-
try in the world had such enormous for
tunes been gained. In no other country
in the world was such power held by the
men who had gained these fortunes; and
these men almost always worked through
81 erNnrn cor =
which they controlled. The power of the
mighty industrial overIords of the country
had increased with giant strides, while the
methods of controlling them, or checking
abuses by them, on the part of the people.
through the Government, remained
archaic and therefore practically i'm
potent.
Courts ms Agents Of "Trusts."
The courts. not unnaturally, but most
regrettab!y, and to the grave detriment
Of the people and of their own standing,
had for a quarter of a century been
on the whole the agents of reaction, and
by conflicting decisions which, however,
in their sum were hostile to the inter
ests OF the people, had left both the
Nation and the several States well-niSh
impotent TO deal with the great business
combinations Sometimes they forbade
the Nation to interfere because such
interference trespassed on the rights OF
the States: sometimes they forbade the
States TO interfere tand often they were
wise in this). because TO do so would
trespass on the rights of the Nation;
but always, or well-nigh always. their
action was negative action against the
interests of the people. ingeniously de-
vised to limit their power against
wrong. instead of affirmative action Civ
ing TO the people power to right wrong.
They had rendered these decisions some
times as upholders of property rights
against human rights. being especially
Jealous in securing the rights of thg very
men who were most competent to take
care of themselves; and sometimes in
the name of liberty. in the name of the
sO-called new freedom" in reality the
old. old freedom" which secured TO the
powerful the freedom to prey on the
poor and the helpless.
One of the main troubles was the fact