The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-07-09
COL. ROOSEVELT
/. WOULD CONTROL
AND NOT CRUSH
BIG BUSINESS
In Stirring Speech to Pennsyl.
vania Progressives at Pitts
bur1, Outlines Party's
Attitude Toward Trust,
and the Bosses
SAYS NEW FREEDOM" is
VERY OLD FREEDOM OF 1850

VERY OLD FREEDOM OF 1850
States That the Present Admins
tration Is Pursuing a Course That
Prevents the Existence Of Prosper
ity-Would Put Stop to the Mis-
deeds Of Business Men Who DO
Wrong and Also to the Harrying
and Persecution Of Honest Business
Men Who Do Right.
Pittsburgh, July Following is
the speech which Col. Theodore Roose-
velt delivered at the Pennsylvania
Progressive Conferences:
l am glad to speak for such men as
Clifford Pinchot for senator and Dean
Lewis for governor. These men by
their lives have honored the republic.
1t would be supreme good, fortune to
have them in public position for al
ready in private position they have
been among the best and most useful
public servants.
Moreover I am glad to speak for
the second time at q meeting held
under the auspices of the Progressive
Service of Pennsylvania, first, be-
cause Pennsylvania has taken an ad-
vanced position In fighting for the
Progressive Party and for the princi-
pies which that Party represents, and
second, because the most striking,
and l am tempted to say, most i'm
portant Of those principles is both
symbolized. by and embodied in the
fact that we have made the Progress
sive Service an integral and and es-
sential portion of the working machin-
cry of the Progressive Party. This is
one Of the ways in which we make
It evident that our promises are to be
made good by our performances; that
our platform was a solemn pledge,
. contract of obligation and that the
planks 1t contains were neither put in
merely to catch votes before election
and to be cheerfully repudiated after
election nor put in with such reckless
disregard Of feasibility that the prom
ises they contained were certain to
be falsif1ed the moment the attempt
was made to reduce them to practice.
Our whole fight centers around the
great principle of social and indus
trial justice. Our platform was a
veritable charter Of democracy. Each
promise In 1t set forth some principle
of conduct which itself represented
one method Of achieving our great
central purpose.
We are devoted to things, not
names. We are not fighting for re-
venge nor rancor nor to crafty grudges.
When we oppose certain public men
we oppose them merely because they
embody and represent evil principles
or else because their practices have
been such that they cannot be trusted
to stand in good faith for those great
and vital principles of public morality
which are essential to the permanent
well-being Of our people. We wish
60 see these vital principles incor-
porated into our governmental system
and become part of the habit of
thought and habit Of action among
our people. We will gladly work
with any men who will them
selves with open sincerity work for
these principles, provided that they
are men Of such character as to justi-
fy confidence in their good faith. In
this spirit we ask all good citizens to
cooperate with US when, as here in
Pennsylvania, we hold aloft the nag Of
good citizenship in the fight to trans
late these sound and lofty principles
into governmental practice. In such
Q fight It is equally necessary both
to cleave steadfastly to lofty ideal
ism and also to show hard headed COM
mon sense in trying to remove this
,ldealism from the domain of words
into the domain of deeds. We realize
that mere material wellbeing is new
or enough in itself, but only as foun-
dation for higher morality, moral
ity of justice and fair dealing and
spiritual aspiration; we realize also
that material wellIbeing is absolutely
essential, because without it as foun-
dation, there will be nothing what
ever On which to build the lofty super
structure of higher life. We stand
for justice to all and therefore we feel
bound 20 work with heart and brain
for that, material prosperity the lack
Of which will prevent our doing jus
%lce to anyone. We do not intend to
let the business man Of brains use
these brains to the detriment either
Of the men who work with or under
him, or Of the men who are his rivals,
Or Of the general public: but we wish
70 shape conditions % that II he ects
squarely he will succeed, and this not
only 40 matter Of Justice to him, but
because HE success 10 4 factor o.
.Drs1,s Importance g the success Of
ssaa ssorksr ana farmer alike. We
Mieh 70 pass prosperity around and
~ tlsse very reason ~ dsslrs that
sthorss may g, II sxistsnss preepeHty
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