"SUCCESSFUL DISHONESTY."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 4 December 1907, Page 4

"SUCCESSFUL DISHONESTY."

Kt H isF.YFXT'S DETERMINATION'. In a T-prccli at Nashville on Octolier 22nd, President Roosevelt dealt at some length ivitli financial questions. "There has been trouble in the stock market, in the high financial world, rtur ing the past few months," he said. "The -tatement ha- frequently been made tliat the policies for which I stand, legislative and executive, are responsible for that trouble. Now, these policies of mine can be summed up in one brief sentence: They represent the effort to punish successful dishonesty. "I doubt if these policies have had any material effect in bringing about the present trouble, but if they have, it wi I not alter in the slightest degree my delermination that for the remain- ; in;: sixteen months of my term these pidirii-, shall be persevered in unsweir- : ingly. If to arouse the civic manhood , in our nation it were necessary to suf- [ fer any temporary commercial depression. I should consider the cost but | small. All we have done has been to i unearth the wrongdoing. It was not j the fact that it was unearthed that did | the damage. All I did was to turn on ; the light. 1 am responsible for turning on the light, but I am not responsible for what the light showed. It is impossible to cut out a cancer without making the patient feel for a few davs ! rath-r -ickcr than he felt before. No i material well-being can save this naI tinn if it loses the lift toward higher things.

"I will permit neither the demagogue on one side nor the reactionary on the other to drive me away from the course or policy which I regard as most vital for the well-being of this nation. And the most important thing to remember is that that policy has two sides. It would, indeed, be an evil for this nation if we ever permitted to grow up a spirit which would discriminate against the honest man who achieves honest business. There is nothing meaner than the hatred for the man who prospers constantly, simply because he has prospered, and I challenge the spirit of every good American when I say that the honest railroad man, the honest banker, and the honest business man, who makes a fortune by bis exceptional business ability, enables him to render exceptional service to the community. "If ever there should be any temporary gusts of popular feeling that demand what is wrong, what is unrighteous, then the true servant of

the people is the man who disregards that temporary wish of the people to do evil, (Great applause.) Xo man will stand more strongly than I will in tile defence of property so long as it

is homtstly acipiired and honestly used. (Cheew.) I will stand against crimes of linit.il violence just as I stand against unscrupulous cunning. "There are certain gentlemen who say that I have talked against men of wealth as such. These gentlemen are blind if they see the facts in that light I will protect in every way in my power honest property. I will protect the honest man of wealth to the extent of my ability, and in no way can I ultimately protect the honest man of wealth so effectually as doing everything in iny power to bring to justice his dishonest brother of wealth. (Great applause.) •thir whole movement is simply and solely to make the decalogue and the | golden rale of some practical moment j in the business life of the community." (Great applause and cheers.)