wage-earning employees of the company."

The letter closed with a request to the Commission to investigate
the whole matter with these points in view. But the investigation
proved unnecessary; the letter was enough. The proposed reduction
of wages was never heard of again. The strength of the
President's position in a case of this sort was that he was
cheerfully prepared to accept whatever an investigation should
show to be right. If the reduction should prove to be required by
natural causes, very well--let the reduction be made. If it was
the result of unfair and unwise legislation, very well--repeal
the legislation. If it was caused by misconduct on the part of
railroad managers, very well--let them be punished. It was hard
to get the better of a man who wanted only the truth, and was
ready to act upon it, no matter which way it cut.

In 1910, after his return from Africa, a speaking trip happened
to take him to Columbus, Ohio, which had for months been in the
grasp of a street railway strike. There had been much violence,
many policemen had refused to do their duty, and many officials
had failed in theirs. It was an uncomfortable time for an
outsider to come and make a speech. But Roosevelt did not dodge.
He spoke, and straight to the point. His speech had been
announced as on Law and Order. When he rose to speak, however, he
declared that he would speak on Law, Order, and Justice. Here are
some of the incisive things that he said:

"Now, the first requisite is to establish order; and the first
duty of every official, in State and city alike, high and low, is
to see that order obtains and that violence is definitely stopped