Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-05-01
THEODORE ROOSEVELT CALLS
FOR ROBUST NATI0NALISM- SAYS
that AmERICAN|SM IS ON TRIAL

system as the annual educational orders
above referred to. could be made ready
for efficient munitions work in time Of
war. The government encouragement
could be also used to secure as one Of iti
features those things for labor which II
is most necessary to secure; proper work
| ing and living conditions and provisions
for insurance compensation against sick.
ness, accident and old age.
mot one step has been taken by Con-
gress to help secure these industrial con.
ditions. Not one step has been taken tc
Lsecure the naturalization Of industry II
time Of war The railroad business ir
particular. in SO far as interstate COM
merce and everything directly or indi-
rectly connected with 1t is concerned.
should be made a national incorporation
law, and the whole power Of regulation
(Which should itself be part of process
of encouragemenD lodges in the federal
commission, the purpose being to en-
courage the business in every legitimate
way, while also seeing that 1t Is man.
aged in the interest of the public. no less
of the investors, managers and wage
workers. We can have no national eco
nomic program until we make ourselves
really nation. National needs cannot be
met by conflicting locality action.
This is the age Of cooperation.
Surely if we really are a business peo-
pie this means that there should be
cooperation and not hostility between
the government and the mighty agen-
cies through which alone modern bus
mess. especially international business,
can be managed. Let the government
regulate the corporations; but let this
regulation be an incident of hearty CO.
operation with them, to secure their
well being and also the well-being of
those who work for them and of those
for whom they work. Capital must be
organized on a large scale just as la
Dor must be organized on a large
scale; but, both forms of organization
must justify themselves by showing
that they are not only beneficial to
themselves but to the people as a
whole.
mo form of government will sur
vive unless it can justify its existence.
Boosting about democracy won't make
democracy succeed. We are the great
est democratic republic and we are
false not only to our own country but
to democracy everywhere if we do not
seriously endeavor to show, by our ac-
tions and success, that with us the
many men can make nation as eff
cient as elsewhere nations have been
made efficient by few men.
I'VE cannot afford to leave this de-
mocracy Of ours inefficient. If we do 1t
will assuredly some day go down in
ruin. We cannot afford to tolerate with
cynical indifference the pork barrel
theories of government so dear to the
hearts of politicians Of the baser sort.
With a wealth Of billions of dollars
and a population of 100,00O,000, we
cannot afford to be in a condition of
utterly unstable social and industrial
equilibrium, nor to see our sons grow
up stepped in a spirit of mere selfish
individualism, without self-control or
discipline or sense of cooperation, or
firmness of purpose. We have great
individual capacity. This we must
keep. But We must train it so that we
shall have great collective capacity,
so that there may be that collective
democratic power and discipline with
out which no great modern democracy
can permanently subsist.'