Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-07-09
COL. ROOSEVELT
ENDORSES PINCHOT
Former President Makes Keynote
Speech at Pittsburgh.
HITS AT THE DEMOCRATS
Declares That Wilson Administration
and His Supporters Have Failed to
to Keep Promises-ofers Olive
Branch to G. o. P.

Pittsburgh, Pa, July AT Pro
gressive rally here Tuesday night Col.
Theodore Roosevelt made the first
wholly political speech he has made
since returning to the United States,
and in It he struck the keynote for
the campaign. In the first place he
urged the election Of Clifford Pin
chot as senator and Dean Lewis as
governor because Of their personal
worth and as q rebuke to Republicans
and Democrats as well as to carry out
Progressive principles.
The colonel then paid his respects
TO the Wilson administration, assert
Ing that the president and his sup
porteTs had utterly failed to keep their
promises Of reducing the cost Of Nv
ing and solving the trust question By
their method Of tariff reduction. The
administration Is pursuing a course,
he said, that prevents the existence Of
prosperity and that docs not offer
single serious or ineligible plan for
passing prosperity round should pros
perity, In spite Of the administra-
tons efforts, at some future time re
turn to our people," He declared the
only course to follow with the trusts
and the tariff is to deal with both
through administrative commissions
OF ample power.
After expressing his well known
opinion Of the Republican bosses and
their action at the Chicago conven-
ton, Colonel Roosevelt discussed at
length the administration antitrust
program and then set forth the Pro
gressiye view Of the business prob
lem.
He said: 1.-THE Progressives are Of
the twentieth century. They face the
facts Of today They are not afraid
of power either in business or in gov
eminent. Their program will allow
business concentration in so far as
such concentration gives social and
economical efficiency and good sery-
ice. But it win also give the gov
eminent full power to see that bust
ness concentration does serve these
necessary ends, and that it is not used
for unfair competition or for monopoly
or for the unfair treatment of labor or
for any other anti-social end.
This is the only tenable position
on the trust problem, for it faces the
facts and does not try to turn back
the hands of the clock. By long and
disappointing experience we have
had several cardinal facts hammered
into US.
First, we cannot and do not want
to destroy all corporations; we must
have large units to do our work
Second, we cannot make every man
compete with every other man; we
cannot go back to 1850, still less to
1850.
Third, we cannot destroy monop-
oily by attacking all forms of concen-
tration whether monOpolistic or not
Fourth, we cannot destroy real mo-
nopoly by attacking its legal form
We must find out and take away the
real economic basis of monopoly,
which is a very different thing.
Fifth, we can get no effective re-
suits through the courts with their
slow and restricted procedure.
Sixth. we must encourage honest
business and allow that BUSINESS con
centration which will give the power
necessary to serve US. This policy
of the encouragement of decent bush
ness is as important to the welfare
of our people as is our other policy of
effective warfare against corrupt and
unfair business.
Seventh, there must be co-opera-
ton among business men, among wage
workers and among farmers.
The Progressive party is the only
party which recognizes these facts.
He extended the olive branch to the
Republicans and invited all good citi-
zens, regardless of party, to join in de-
feating the Democratic party.
Many in the large audience detected
a huskiness in the speakers voice. Mr..
Roosevelt also seemed to realize the
weakness Of his vocal organs and re-
Trained from the vigorous delivery
which has in the past marked his pub
lie utterances.