The Washington herald., 1914-09-08
/. R RAPS BOTH
THE EOLDPARTIES
In Speech at New Orleans He
Sets Up Progressives Plat
form as National Panacea.
CONTROL MISSISSIPPI
Says SIS. 10000 "Blaekmsil" to Co
Iombia Should Be Used to De-
velop River Resources.
CONTROL MISSISSIPPI

New Orleans, Sept. T-Col. Roosevelt
assailed both the Democratic and Re-
publican parties with equal vehemence
tonight in a speech at a mass meeting
in the French Opera House. He charae-
teriEed the proposed payment OF t2o.o0.Oo
10 Colombia as ''blackmail," and set up
the Progressive party's platform as a
panacea for National Ills.
The colonel arrived in time to speak
at a Labor Day picnic and to confer
with three local Progressive leaders
during the afternoon. He will be here
tomorrow. At the opera house he said:
In all this country no action taken
by any body Of American citizens is
more hopeful for the entire country than
the action taken by you PFogressives Of
Louisiana. Moreover, OF all the mem
bers of the Progressive party there II
none who more emphatically deserves
well OF the party and well Of the nation
than you. It is out OF the question that
the old Republican party can ever secure
the confidence Of the South. new party
is needed to meet the new needs Of the
new day"
"BIRckmaII TO Colombia
The National Government has just
finished one great job. the Panama canal
am sorry TO say that having finished
H. anu ndNlHB FEueGNtu lnN ulknE5N hOlAoA
on the nation by the way in which this
seem ready to acquiesce in the proposal
Of the present administration to apollo
giEe for and pay blackmail for the acts
which rendered il possible to do the job
at all.
What wish TO point out is. that II
this Government is wise, instead Of pay
ing S25,OOO.OOO blackmsil to alien wrong
dOers and their heirs, II will use thai
s.. 900 and the plant Of the Panama
canal. and as many scores Of millions
extra as are necessary. in precisely the
same way as il used this money to con-
struct the Panama canal, to take eOntrOI
OF the Mississippi and TO develop all its
possibilities OF usefulnes from 1t head
waters TO the delta. The problem Of the
floods which have caused such frightfuI
disaster to tn. States along the lower
course Of the Mississippi must be met
not only by levee building. but by great
storage reservoirs upstream which will
receive the flood waters IN times Of
fTeshet.
Our governmental policy should be
aimed at securing a proper division of
But it must also be such as
10 bring prosperity, or there will be
nothing to divide. The policies that have
been formulated and enacted into law in
during the last year and
quarter. for example. have not in the
smallest decree helped 20 secure a great !
sr justice in the distribution OF pros
1erity. and yet they have very seriously
nterfered with the existence OF pros !
Derity. Intcad Of helping to make every !
body a little better OF. they have helped |
10 make everybody distinctly worse OF. |
"weddcd to Their IdoIs.''
Both the old parties are welded 10 !
heir ideals. The Republican party has /
made it evident that II intends to see .
hat the people are put under the con- .
rol of the great bosses Of the stamp Of
Mr.. PenrOse and MT Barnes. On the ,
,the- hand. the Democratic party. which .
las possessed absolute power in Wash .
ngton for the last two years, has shown
rot the faIntest symptom Of a real un-
lerstanding Of the needs Of the people. I
I has done nothing whatever for labor,
md its actions on the trusts and the
arirf have shown that il is not fit TO
un the government.
As regards the tarif. two years ago
hey promised to reduce the tariff in
uch fashion that, while American in
ustries would not be harmed, the trusts
would be broken up and the cost of liv-
ng would be reduced. No one Of these
hings has been done. The trusts have not
,een affected. excepting that their small
r competitors have been hurt. The cost
( living has not been reduced But the
bility Of the average man to earn a
wing has cen threatened or impaired.
Economic stability and industrial ef-
cheney can be secured only by adopting
he Progressive platform. Under the Re
ublican scheme a few men prosper too
much. Under the Democratic scheme
10 body prospers enough. The Pro-
ressive platform alone really does pro-
ide first for securing prosperity and,
ext. for passing prosperity around.
Expert Tariff BOARD.
The cataclysm that has befallen Eu-
ope shows that IL is merely utopian for
ny nation to trust to anything except
5 own efficiency unto itself This means
hat We should keep our industries in
Ich condition as TO be able to subsist
n them, II necessary. II, instead Of
estroying our whole sugar industry at
blow, We had established a commission I
experts TO deal with this as well as
18th other problems. there can be no
Oubt that the sugar tariff would have
18th the extreme folly that actually
larked its handling.
What has happened during the last
lonth or six weeks emphasizes in
earest fashion the practical good sense :
the policy the Progressives have sd-
OCated. Honest business men. and
specially honest small business men, n
ave exactly the same right to combine
nat honest wageworkers and honest
Irmers have. In all cases as regards
ageworkers, farmers and business men II
ike, the combination should he super
sed and controlled by the government.
} as to make 1t subservient and not II
lstile to the public good: and in the case
big business the necessity for such
ipervision and control Is far greater