The Triumphant Life of Theodore Roosevelt edited by J. Martin Miller

256
THE SECOND DAY
representative of the law. He is, and will continue to be, without favor or affection,
the representative of law supreme and universal in our borders.
PRAISES SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
A few words more and I will conclude. Our government is of the people. It is
divided into coordinate branches. The judges of the United States courts, who hold
office for life, or during good behavior; the executive; the congress, which consists
of two coordinate branches—the house and the senate— great legislative bodies ;
could not be otherwise, bom as they are of eighty millions of people, who are com-
they
petent for self-government. In the senate the tenure is for six years. The great
popular body, near to the people, that reflects the sentiment of the people, is chosen
every two years. Now, then, you know under our form of government the party in
power is held responsible. The function of the minority is to put it on good behavior
by being ever ready to appeal to the people.
Let me tell you something. If our government has a fault it is that after an
election one party is placed in power with only one leg. It may have the senate.
It may have the presidency. It may have the hou.se. It goes along on crutches.
Yet you want to hold it responsible for public sentiment. If I had the power I
would so change our constitutiojj that, at every quadrennial election, the party that
received the popular approval should go fully into power and let the public have a
government according to the sentiment expressed at the ballot box. But we have
not got it arranged quite that way. What is the next best thing? You like Theo-
dore Roosevelt? Yes. Stronger than his party ; he
ADVOCATES CHANGE IN SENATE
will be triumphantly elected.
Do you like the senate of the United States? Yes. Its condition cannot be
changed in November. It could be changed at the end of four years, electing a
third every two years. You like the electoral colleges of the great popular party, 386
strong, coming with the warrants of attorney from the people to cast their votes for
your candidates. If you approve of them, if you approve of the Republican
policies, you are short-sighted if you refuse a working majority in the house of rep-
resentatives, because you cannot keep a Republican house without it.
I am done. I have already detained you longer than I expected. In conclu-
sion, let me again say that we are proud of the President ; we
are proud of the
future. The twentieth century is to bring more of good or evil to the human race
than the nineteenth century brought. Under what party banner will you enlist?
Under that of the reactionist? Under that of the people who sit still or tear down?
Or, will you take service vyith the party of Lincoln and Grant and Garfield and Har-
rison and McKinley and Roosevelt, and help us march on to victory?