Address of President Roosevelt at the laying of the corner stone of the office building of the House of Representatives, Saturday, April 14, 1906

In the early spring of 1906, the nation’s leader addressed a crowd gathered to lay the cornerstone of a new office building for the House of Representatives. He used the occasion to reflect on the rapid expansion of the United States—its soaring population, growing wealth, and increasingly complex public affairs—and to argue that such growth demands ever‑greater spaces for government work.

Turning the ceremony into a moral lesson, he warned against the temptation to focus solely on the “muck‑rake” of everyday troubles while ignoring higher ideals. Roosevelt praised those who courageously expose corruption in politics and business, but he stressed that such attacks must be grounded in truth, lest they become as harmful as the sins they target. The speech urges citizens to balance vigorous reform with honest discourse, reminding listeners that the health of the republic depends on both diligent work and a clear moral compass.