The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-07-02

Prevents the Existence Of Prosper
ity-WouId Put a Stop to the Mis-
deeds Of Business Men Who Do
Wrong and Also to the Marrying
and Persecution Of Honest Business
Men Who Do Right.
Pittsburgh, July 1.-Following is
the speech which Col. Theodore Roose-
welt delivered at the Pennsylvania
Progressive Conference:
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 / am glad to speak for
the second time at a 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 | 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
1t evident that our promises are to be
made good by our performances; that
our platform was a solemn pledge,
a 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
Uses they contained were certain to
be falsified 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-
Fenge 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
to 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-
fly 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 flag of |
good citizenship in the fight to trans
late these sound and lofty principles |
Into governmental practice. In such |
q fight 1t is equally necessary both |
to cleave steadfastly to a lofty ideal |
ism and also to show hardheaded COM |
mon sense in trying to remove this |
idealism from the domain of words |
into the domain Of deeds. We realize
that mere material well-being is new |
er enough In itself, but only as a foun-
dation for higher morality, a moral
ity Of justice and fair dealing and |
spiritual aspiration; we realize also
that material wellIbeing is absolutely
essential, because without 1t as foun-
dalton, 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 to work with heart and brain
for that material prosperity the lack
Of which will prevent our doing Jus
tlee to anyone. We do not intend to
let the business man OF brains use
these brains to the detrlment either
of the men who work wiki or under
him, or Of the men who are his rivals,
or Of the general public; but we wish ,
10 shape conditions 90 that II he acts
he will succeed, and this not
only az a matter Of Justice to him, but
because hIs success Is q factor Of
prime importance to the success Of
Hage-worker and farmer alike. We
wish to pass prosperity around and
for that very reason we desire that
there may be in existence prosperity
sufficient to pass around.
The present national administration
IN pursuing a course that prevents the