The Elbert County tribune., 1916-09-08
our recent pursuit Of bandits int

were no military forces in Mexico that
could protect our border from hostile
attack and our own people from yio-
lence. and we have committed there
no single act OF hostility or interfer-
ence even with the sovereign authority
OF the republic of Mexico herself.
Many serious wrongs against the
property. many irreparable wrongs
against the persons, of Americans have
been committed within the territory of
Mexico herself during this confused
revolution. wrongs which could not be
efrectually checked SO long as there
was no constituted power in Mexico
which was In position to check them.
We could not act directly in that mat
ter ourselves without denying Meni-
cans the right to any revolution at all
which disturbed us and making the
emancipation of her own people await
our own interest and convenience.
Problems Of Near Future.
The future. the immediate future,
Will bring us squarely face to face with
many great and eSactlng problems
which will search us through and
through whether we be able and ready
to play the part In the world that we
mean to play.
There must be just and settled
peace, and we here In America must
contribute the full force of our en-
thusiasm and of our authority as .
nation to the organization OF that
peace upon worldwide foundations
that cannot easily be shaken. No ma
tlon should be forced to take sides In
any quarrel in which its own honor
and integrity and the fortunes Of Its
own people are not involved; but no
nation can any longer remain neutral
as against any willful disturbance OF
the peace of the world.
One OF the contributions we must
make to the worlds pence is this:
We must see to 1t that the people In
our lnsular possessions are treated
in their own lands as we would treat
them here, and make the rule of the
United States mean the same thing
everywhere-the same justice. the
same consideration for the essential
rights of men.
Besides contributing our ungrudg-
Ing moral and practical support to the
establishment of peace throughout the
world we must actively and intelli-
gently prepare ourselves to do our full
service in the trade and industry
which are to sustain and develop the
life of the nations In the days to come.
We have already been proyident in
this great matter and supplied our
selves with the instrumentalitles Of
prompt adjustment. We have created,
in the federal trade commission, a
means of Inquiry and of accommoda-
ton In the field of commerce which
ought both to coordinate the enter
prises of our traders and mnnufac-
turers and to remove the barriers Of
misunderstanding and OF a too tech
nical Interpretation of the law. In
the new tariff commission we have
added another instrumentality Of OBJ
servation and adjustment which prom
ises to be Immediately serviceable.
We have already formulated and
agreed upon a policy of law which
will explicitly remove the ban now
supposed to rest upon cooperation
amongst our exporters In seeking and
markets of the world. The field Will
be free, the instrumentalities at hand.
At home also we must see to 1t that
the men who plan and develop and d.
rect our business enterprises shall en-
Joy definite and settled conditions of
law, policy accommodated to the
freest progress. We have set the just
and necessary limits. We have put
all kinds of unfair competition under
the ban and penalty Of the law. We
have barred monopoly, THESE fatal
and ugly things being excluded, we
must now quicken action and faclll-
tate enterprise by every just means
within our choice. There will be
peace in the business world, and, with
peace; revived confidence and life.
We ought both to husband and to
develop our natural resources, our
mines, our forests, our water power.
| wish we could have made more prog
ress than we have made in this vital
matter.
We must hearten and quicken tho
spirit and efficiency of labor through
out our whole Industrial system by
everywhere and in all occupations do
ing justice to the laborer, not only by
paying a living wage, but also by
making all the conditions that sur
round labor what they ought to be.
We must coordinate the railway
systems of the country for national
use, and must facilitate and promote
their development with view TO that
coordination and to their better
adaptation as a whole to the life and
trade and defense of the nation. The
life and industry of the country can
be free and unbampered only II these
arteries are open, efficient, and COM
plete.