The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-02-25


which they will not go. ! do not
mean in the least to imply that any
of you gentlemen are interested in
making trouble. That is not the point.
would be mighty proud man If l
could get 1t into your imaginations
that you can oblige people. almost, to
get together by the atmosphere in
which you surround them in the daily
news. And the atmosphere has got to
come, not from Washington, but from
the country. You have got to write
from the country In, and not from
Washington out. The only way can
succeed is by not having my mind live
in Washington. My body has got to
live there, but my mind has got to
live in the United States or else ]
will fail. Now, you fellows can help
me and help everybody else by Just
swathing my mind and other peoples
minds in the atmosphere of the
shou6hl VI TIC Ouitcu otdtcs. luo
great advantage that you enjoy is
that you represent papers all over the
country, and therefore you can import
the opinion and the impulses of the
country into Washington, and import
it after a fashion that nobody else
can employ. A congressman has to
import opinion according to the re-
pairing of his fences-or, at least, he
thinks he has; l do not think so. You
have not got any fences to repair or
to keep in order. Your interest is
simply to see that the thinking of the
people comes pressing in all the time
on Washington. 1t would help me
immensely, and it would help every
man in public life immensely, should
you do that.
so the thought have in dealing
with you fellows is this; that you,
more than any other persons, can
Intricate quicken-the processes by
which you are going to do, what?
Serve the people of the United States.
II we do not serve them (the I'VE"
now applies to politicians) then we
will go out of business, and we ought
to 60 out of business. We will go out
Of business with the applause of the
world, because il We do not serve the
people Of the United States, there is
going to be a radical change Of venue
and it will be new kind Of trial for
public men. So that l do not feel
that am engaged in partisan enter
prise or a party enterprise, or in any,
thing except interpreting what you
men ought to make it your business
to bring the country. l have got to
understand the country, or l will not
understand my job. Therefore, have
brought you here to say to you the
very simple thing, Please do not tell
the country what Washington is think.
ing, for that does not make any DIFF
ference. Tell Washington what the
country is thinking and then we will
get things with a move on, we will
get them SO refreshed, SO shocked
through with airs from every whole
some part of the country, that they
cannot go stale, they cannot go rot
ten, and men will stand up and take
notice, AMI know that they have got
to vote according to the purpose of
the country, and the needs of the
country, and the interpreted general
interests of the country, and in no 9th
er way.
Il sent for you, therefore, to ask
that you go into partnership with me,
that you lend me your assistance as
nobody else can, and then after you
have brought this precious freight Of
opinion into Washington, let us try
and make true gold here that will
go out from Washington. Because
nothing better will go out than comes
in. 1t is the old law of compensation,
the law of equivalence. In proportion
that Washington is enriched, 80 will
the fruition in Washington itself be
rich. Now, all this Is obvious enough
to you gentlemen. / am not telling
you anything that you did not know