assumption that virtue is the reward of anything but effort or that
liberty can be secured at the price of anything but eternal vigilance.

It is in recognition of these principles and conditions that the General
Court of last year gave the Governor power to make rules for the use by
individuals of their property during the war for the general defence of
the Commonwealth, and on failure on their part so to use their property,
to take possession of it for such term as may be necessary. Up to the
present time it has not been necessary to take property. Our faith in
the patriotism of our citizens has been amply demonstrated. Of our four
millions of people few have failed voluntarily to use their every
resource for the defence of the Nation. But of late there have been some
complaints of too high charges for rent in war-material centres. In some
cases patriotic workmen engaged in labor most vital to our country's
salvation have been threatened with eviction by profiteering landlords
unless they paid exorbitant rents. No one is undertaking to say that
rents must on no account be raised. But the Executive Department of
Massachusetts is undertaking to say that in any case where rents are
unreasonably raised to the detriment of people who are just as essential
to our victory as the soldier in the field, if any one is to be evicted
from such premises it will be the persons who are raising rents and not
the persons who are asked to pay them. This action is taken to protect
the Nation. It is taken in our desire and determination here to
coöperate with the Federal Government in every activity that is
necessary to the prosecution of the war. It is taken also for the
protection of the individual. We do not care how humble he may be, we do
not care how exalted the landlord may be, justice shall be done.

This is not to be taken as an offer on the part of the Commonwealth to
have unloaded on it a large amount of property at a high price.