Lawlessness grows by what it feeds upon; and when mobs begin to lynch for rape they speedily extend the sphere of their operations and lynch for many other kinds of crimes, so that two-thirds of the lynchings are not for rape at all; while a considerable proportion of the individuals lynched are innocent of all crime.
Roosevelt addresses the dangers of mob justice and its broader implications on society.
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The man who does nothing cuts the same sordid figure in the pages of history, whether he be cynic, or fop, or voluptuary.
Character must show itself in the man's performance both of the duty he owes himself and of the duty he owes the State.
The American people by a great plurality have conferred upon you the highest honor in their gift.
We are bound in honor to strive to bring ever nearer the day when, as far as is humanly possible, we shall be able to realize the ideal that each man shall have an equal opportunity to show the stuff that is in him by the way in which he…
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