The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-30


If any man, whether workingman or
capitalist. believes that he owes moth |
ing to this country, then the sooner
he gets out of the country the better.
for he is unfit to do good to himself
or to anyone else. Such a man is not
entitled to claim companionship with
you veterans of the Civil war VINO are
here today. He is unfit to live in the
land which is proud of the memory OF
your deeds. On the other hand the
great business men must recognize
more and more that there must be
full and frank cooperation between
them and the government TO secure
the public welfare. On the part of the
government this cooperation must be
given with the sincere desire to in
crease the efficiency of our Industrial
organization. not to hamper 1t. and
with full recognition of the fact that
much of modern industry must be
carried on by great industrial units
The aim of government should be not
to destroy these units but. while en-
couraging them, to regulate them in
the interests of the people as a whole.
At the same time the big business man
must with equal frankness recognize
the fact that his business activities,
while beneficial to himself and his as
sociates, must also justify themselves
by being beneficial to the men who
work for him, and to the public which
he serves.
A nation to survive must stand for
justice.
How to Stir Patriotism.
If any class is here oppressed, or so
neglected that the neglect becomes in
effect oppression, the ideals OF pa
triotism in that class will assuredly be
dwarfed and stunted- We must not
let any man think that he can shirk
his own duties, or blame his own
failure and shortcomings on others;
and yet we must shape our collective
action, so that as far as possible each
man shall have a fair chance to show
the stuff that is in him. unhelped and
unhampered by special privilege. Leg
| islation to help the business man is
eminently proper. but only on condi-
| ton that we show equal zeal for the
working and living rights, the social
and economic rights, of farmer and
| wage Garner; in short, the rights OF
| all productive citizens must be safe
guarded with equal care. A protective
tariff with the duties adjusted out
side of factional politics is essential in
the industrial world of today. But the
protective tariff by itself means MOTH
/ ing but the rudimentary beginning of
the needed policy, or rather policies.
| for the broadest national development
of our economic life, along lines de-
signed to secure real, substantial JUS
tee. Our national resources must be
conserved, but the conservation must
4
as on all other points the prosperity
and growth of industry must. so far
as possible, be made to go hand in
hand with a reasonably equitable dis
| tribution of its returns.
Care for Our Brothers.
In addition to treating our brother
man and sister woman as we would
| wish them to treat US, we must also
endeavor, so far as we are able. to Sc
This is why we must try to abolish
child labor. This is why we must see
that women in industry are protect
ed from inhuman treatment of any
kind. This is why we must try to Sc
| cure, not merely for women and chill
dren, but fo1 men also. conditions OF
life and labor, such that the head OF
the family will not be ground under
foot by excessive toll, nor kept to a
wage that will not permit him to bring
| up his family in the way it should be
] brought up, that will not permit him
to save his wife from prostrating
drudgery. 1t does not mean that we
shall try to give to the shiftless the
same reward as to the energetic and
hard working. 1t does not mean that
we shall permit the vicious to COM
nit wrong with impunity. 1t does not
mean that we shall excuse any wage
| worker, or any other man for failure
|
whole heartedly to serve the nation
for the privileges of citizenship should
be conditioned on the possession and
| exercise of patriotism. But it does
mean that for the sake of our chill
dren and children's children who are
to come after US. we shall strive tc
bring about conditions in this country
such as to free every hard working
and right thinking man from the
sense of injustice and oppression, from
the feeling that the laws do not Sc
cure him justice, but do give an ad-
vantage over against him to unscrupu-
lous cunning and INSCRIPTIONS force
In the long run our children's chill
dren will find that this is not good
country for any one to live in unless
we and they make it a reasonably
good country for every one to live in
About Lip Loyalty.
What 1 thus say does not represent
anything new in principle On the
contrary, the principles thus set forth
men before election, who, after cleo.
| ton, forgot their prediction prom
ises. What we need in our public
men is performance, not promise; tc
treat platform merely as a means
of getting office, not as a covenan,
; to be kept in office, is demora1izins
both to the public and to the servants
of the public.
Now, friends. the men here today
whom I have particularly addressed
the men who wore the Blue, and The
men who wore the Gray in the Civil
war, proved that they had convictions
worth dying for They thereby made
this a land worth living in The,
} showed that they were willing to sac
! rifice everything, including life itself
for certain great ideals They thereb,
ranged themselves among the great
peoples of mankind. No nation :.
really great, no race is entitled to a
permanent position of leadership oil
! of equality on this earth, unless il.
sons are willing to die at need fol
: great ideals. But it is equally i'm.
: portant that they shall show a like
power of fealty to ideals in the wa,
} they live their ordinary lives If afte,
the close of the Civil war the soldier.
who fought in it both