Evening star., 1915-01-09

but 1 recognize your supremacy be-
cause I read the election returns, and
II have this ambition, my democratic
friends-I can avow it Jackson day:
IT want to make every Independent
voter in this country democrat. 1t is
Ia little cold and lonely out where he Is.
because. though he holds the balance
Of power, he is not the majority. and
+ want him to come in where IT Is
warm. I want him to come in where
there is a lot of good society. good
companionship. where there are great
emotions. That is what / miss in the
republican party. they do not seem TO
have any great emotions. They seem 70
think a lot of things, old things, nut
they do not seem to have any enthos-
iasm about anything.
Now there is one thing 1 have got
a great enthusiasm about, 1 might al,
most say reckless enthusiasm. and
that is human liberty. The governor
has just now spoken about watchful
waiting in Mexico. I want to say a
word about Mexico, or not so much
about Mexico as about our attitude To-
ward Mexico. I hold it as funda-
mental principle, and SO do you, that
every people has the right to determine
its own form of government: and unit!
this recent revolution in Mexico, until
the end of the DiaZ reign, 80 per cent
Of the people of Mexico never had
1ook-in' in determining who should be
their governor or what their govern.
ment should be. Now, 1 am for the 80
per cent. 1t Is none of my business.
and 1t is none Of your business. now
long they take in determining 1t. 1t
is none OF my business, and it is none
Of yours. how they go about the busi-
ness. The country is theirs. The gov
ernment is theirs. The liberty, II they
can get it, and Godspeed them in get
ting it, is theirs. And so far as my in
fuence goes while I am President no
hOdy shall interfere with them.
Sympathy Toward Mexico.
sThat is what 1 mean by great
emotion. the great emotion OF sym
pathy. Do you suppose that the Amer
lean people are ever going to count
small amount of material benefit and
advantage to people doing business in
Mexico against the Liberties ana the
permanent happiness OF the Mexican
people? Have not European nations
taken as long as they wanted and split
as much blood as they pleased in set
ting their affairs. and snail we deny
that to Mexico because she is weak!
No, I say l am proud to oeiohg TO
strong nation that says: Ihis country,
which we could crush. shall nave JUST
as much freedom in her own affairs as
we have.
IF / am strong / am ashamed TO
bully the weak. In proportion 10 my
strength is my pride in withholding
that strength from the oppressr1ba ba, u
speak these things [not merely from
the generous response with which they
have just met from you, put from my
longtime knowledge of the American
people) that that is the sentiment VI
the American people.
With all due respect to editors OF
great newspapers, I have to say to
them that 1 never take my opinion OF
the American people from their edi-
torials. So that when some great
dailies not very far from where L am
temporarily residing thundered with
rising scorn at watchful waiting.
Woodrow sat back in his chair and
chuckled. knowing that he laughs best
who laughs last-knowlng. IN snort.
what were the temper and principles or
the American people. If ! did not at
least think / knew I would emigrate,
because 1 would not be satisfied to stay
where ! am. There may come time
when the American people will have
to judge whether I know what I am
talking about or not. But at least for
two year more ] am free to think that
do with a great comfort in immunity
in the time being.
Comforting Thought.
"And it is, by the way. very COM
forting thought that the next Congress
of the United States is going to be
very safely democratic, and that, there
fore, we can all together feel as much
confidence as Jackson did that we
know what we are about You know
Jackson used to think that everybody
who disagreed with him was an enemy
of the country. 1 have never got quite
that far in my thoughts. but / have
ventured to think that they did not
know what they were talking about,
knowing that my fellow-demqcrats ex-
pected me to live up to the full stature
of Jacksonian democracy.
so 1 feel. my friends. in a very con-
fdent mood today. I feel confident
that we do know the spirit of the
American people. that we do know the
program of betterment which it will
be necessary for us to undertake. that
we do have very reasonable conf
dence In the support of the American
people.
IT have been talking with business
men recently about the present state Of
mind of American business.
Need in Business.
There is nothing the matter with
American business except a state of
mind. I understand that your cham
Der of commerce here in Indianapolis