The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-07-22
HARDING's SPEECH
OF ACCEPTANCE
CONTINUED from First Page)

to the unsettled and fevered condi- |
tons caused by the war. The mani |
fest weakness in popular government |
lies in the temptation to appeal 20 |
grouped citizenship for political ad-
vantage There is no gerater peril. |
The constitution contemplates no
class and recognizes no group. It
broadly includes all the people. with
specific recognition for none. and the
highest conservation we can make to-
day is committal of the republican
rarty to that saving constitutionalism
which contemplates all America as
one people, and holds just government
free from influence on the one hand
and unmoved by intimidation on the
other.
1t would be the blindness of folly
to ignore the activities IN our own
country which are aimed to destroy
our economic system, and to commit
us to the colossal tragedy which has
both destroyed all freedom and made
Russia impotent This movement is
not to be halted in throttled liberties.
We must not abridge the freedom of
speech, the freedom of press, or the
freedom of assembly. because there
is no promise in repression. These
liberties are as sacred as the freedom
of religious belief, as inviolable as the
rights of life and the pursuit of hap
piness. We do hold to the right to-
crush sedition, to stifie a menacing1
contempt for law, to stamp out peril
to the safety of the republic or its
people, when emergency calls. because
security and the majesty of the law
are the first essentials of liberty. He
who threatens destruction of the gov
eminent by force or faunts his con-
tempt for lawful authority, ceases to
be a loyal citizen and forfeits his
rights TO the freedom of the republic.
Let it be said to all of America
that our plan of popular government.
contemplates such orderly changes as
the .crystallized intelligence of the
majority of our people think best.
There can be no modification of this
underlying rule, but no majority shall
abridge the rights of minority. Men
have a right to question our system
in fullest freedom, but they must al
ways remember that the rights Of
freedom impose the obligations which
maintain it. Our policy is not of re-
preston, but we made appeal today
to American intelligence and patriot
ism, when the republic is menaced
from within. just as we trusted AM
erican patriotism when our rights
were threatened from without.
We call on all America for steadi-
ness, so that we may proceed deliber-
ately to the readjustment which con-
Germs all the people. Our party plat
form fairly expresses the conscience
of republicans on industrial relations.
No party is Indifferent to the welfare
of the wage-earner. To US his good
fortune is of deepest concern, and We
seek to make that good fortune per-
manent We do not oppose but ap-
prove collective bargaining. because
that is an outstanding right. but we
are unalterably insistent that is ex-
ercise must not destroy the equally
sacred right of the individual, in his
necessary pursuit of livelihood. Any
American has the right to quit his
employment, so has every American
/ the right to seek employment. The
| group must not endanger the individ-
ual, and we must discourage groups
pIeying upon one another, and none
shall be allowed to forget that gov
ernment's obligations are alike to all
the people.
! hope we may do more than mere
Ily discourage the losses and suffer-
ings attending industrial conflict. The
strike against the government is
properly denied, for government serv-
/ ice involves none of the elements of
profit which relate to competitive en-
terprise. There is progress in the
establishment of official revealment
/ of issues and conditions which lead to
conflict, so that unerring public senti-
ment may speed the adjustment, but
/ hope for that concord of purpose,
not forced but inspired by the COM
mon veal, which viii give regulated
public service the fullest guaranty of
continuity. I am thinking of the rail-
| roads. In modern life they are the
very base of all our activities and in
i terchanges For public protection we
. have enacted laws providing for a
regulation of the charge for service.
8 a Limitation on the capital invested
and limitation on capitals earnings.
There remains only competition of
service, on which TO base our hopes
for an efficiency and expansion which
meet our modern requirements. The
/ railway workmen ought to be the best
paid and know the best working con-
Gitions in the world. Theirs is an ex-
ceptional responsibility. They are not
only essential to the life and health
and all productive activities of the
i people, but they are directly respon-
sible for the safety of travelling mill
ions. The government which has as
suped so much authority for the pub
! / lie good might well stamp railway
& employment with the sanctity of pub
| lie service and guarantee to the rail-
way employees that justice which
voices the American conception OF
righteousness on the one hand, and
assure continuity of service on the
ether.
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