greater service in arousing the public mind to a realization of
facts of national significance and stimulating the public
conscience to a desire to deal with them vigorously and justly.
>From the very beginning of his Presidential career he realized
the gravity of the problems created by the rise of big business;
and he began forthwith to impress upon the people with hammer
blows the conditions as he saw them, the need for definite
corrective action, and the absolute necessity for such treatment
of the case as would constitute the "square deal." An interesting
example of his method and of the response which it received is to
be found in the report of an address which he made in 1907. It
runs thus:

"From the standpoint of our material prosperity there is only one
other thing as important as the discouragement of a spirit of
envy and hostility toward business men, toward honest men of
means; this is the discouragement of dishonest business men.
[Great applause.]

"Wait a moment; I don't want you to applaud this part unless you
are willing to applaud also the part I read first, to which you
listened in silence. [Laughter and applause.] I want you to
understand that I will stand just as straight for the rights of
the honest man who wins his fortune by honest methods as I will
stand against the dishonest man who wins a fortune by dishonest
methods. And I challenge the right to your support in one
attitude just as much as in the other. I am glad you applauded
when you did, but I want you to go back now and applaud the other
statement. I will read a little of it over again. 'Every
manifestation of ignorant envy and hostility toward honest men