The Detroit times., 1911-04-29
INTIMATE CORRESPONDENCE.
wAsHINGToN. April 2s. lsll.

personalities uhu SchobOio, ANePuS
licans and Democrats, progressiyes
and reactionaries. and find that the
majority sentiment Is strongly oDpos-
| ed 10 a Mexican war. IL Is freely rec
ognized that Intervention" is only an
other word for invasion and that in
yasion means war. Members talking
privately admit that the pressure for
Intervention comes entirely from
Wall-st. and those ramifications or
Wall-st. which are created by buyers
OF speculative securities In Mexican
rubber plantations, coffee planta-
tions, railroads, mines, etc.
The majority still hold TO American
| traditions which are inclined 10 favor
resolutions and TO be sympathetic with
the under dog rather than to lend their
help TO sustaining a one-man govern
ment and a system OF slavery. Add
ed to this Is the fact that at present
writing Mr.. Taft has neglected to
send any message to congress on the
subject OF Mexico, and officially con-
gress knows nothing about reyolu-
tion in Mexico or "maneuvers" on the
Mexican border. So there you are.
A man in Kansas writes TO me as
follows: II see from your correspond
ence that there is a chance that La
Toilette may become a candidate for
the presidential nomination. This Is
TO say that | and good many thou
sand people out here OF whom / am
an ordinary sample are for that prop
osition. But that is not why | am
yrtf I tz I'm,
gard to campaign fund. LaFollette
is not the kind of man TO be financed
by the rich corporations. Now every
body knows that a campaign has to
be made by speeches from the rear
platform OF private cars and that any
kind of a campaign takes money.
Now, why wouldn't 1t be good
scheme for the LaFollette campaign
for this nomination be supported by
voluntary contributions from the peo-
pie who want TO see LaFollette NOM
inated-such contribution not to ex-
ceed a dollar from any Individual?
There are a lot of people who would
and could send 10 cents who don't do
so because they think that a 10-cent
contribution would be joke and that
the only contributors OF account in
modern politics are people who can
draw checks in two or three ciphers.
Now, II the big majority OF the COM
mon people were given a chance to
send anything from a dime to dol.
lar, think that would pay travel
expenses and printers bills and would
help to get the nomination of a man
who would be under obligation only
to the people who sent their dimes.
That is the kind of man we believe
LaFollette is and Il Is the kind OF
president we want. Can you give this
idea any publicity?'
Yes, Mr.. Kansas, we like your idea
and herewith is the publicity.
And still the tributes to Tom John
son continue to pour in. Johnson
vas a pioneer. Fifteen years ago he
stood for things alone which the great
majority now recognize as right. He
was In the modern movement for re-
form what the skirmisher Is to an
army. Which reminds me Of some
lines. | think they are rather good.
They run:
The battle thunders all along the
line;
The mustered myriads drink its
draught like wine!
We charge in lusty squadrons un-
afraid
Cheered by the below Of our cannon
ade
Still stands tn embattled host OF
Vested Wrong,
Unshaken. unabashed, unconquered,
strong;
But Right now has her fields Of clus-
tered spears.
And shakes the air with trampling
and with cheers!
The fight seems dubious; yet one
thing we know;
The fight shall not be lost without a
blow,
The soldier dies; but as his senses
He sees the line sweep on, with eyes
grown dim.
The wounded lie and bleed-their
faces shine
AS billowing cheers come swelling
down the line.
And now is glory. conquest, conflict,
thrill;
The great war dims the sky and
| shakes the hill:
! The very mass OF battle bears us high
In generous resolve to do or die
And we forget the tense urge to win
The skirmishers that drove their
pickets in!
They fought in the gray dawn, cold
and alone,
A hardy few, darting from tree to
stone.
No fife and drum, no touch of elbow
cheered-
They saw no following host with flags
upreared;
And that which wrung their valient
spirits most
Was the dread doubt, There is no fol-
lowing host"
Yet through the fearsome jungle
forth they went,
Felt for the foe, and drove him to his
tent;
And in the splendid faith that one
good blow
Is each mans legal debt to every foe,
They struck. The sparse fire cracked
through the dawn.
Grew, greatened, roared-and the
great war was on!
So let us honor, mid the battles din
The skirmishers that drove their
pickets I'M
BY the way, | wonder IL anybody
knows who wrote the above poem.
| can't seem TO find II In my anthol-
! ogy. II anybody can throw light on
/ - n L.. IL