Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1915-04-22

with the one side or the other. but get
ting ready to help both sides when the
struggle is over.
Neutrality Is Sympathy.
''rhe basis of neutrality, gentlemen.
is not Indifference: it is not self inter-
est. The basis of neutrality is sym
pathy with mankind. 1t is fairness. it
is good will at bottom. 1t is impair
tiality of spirit and of Judgment.
wish that all of our fellow citizens
could realize that. There is in some
quarters a disposition to create dis
tempers in this body polite. Men are
even uttering ISLANDERS against the
United States. as il to excite her. Men
are saying that if we should go to war
upon either side there will be a divided
America-an abominable libel of ig
norance: America is not all of it vocal
just now. 1t is vocal in spots. But l,
for one. have II complete and abiding
faith in that great silent body OF
Americans who are not standing up
and shouting and expressing their
opinions Just now, but are waiting to
find out and support the duty of
America, l am just as sure of their
unanimity. if we act justly, as l am
that the history of this country has at
every crisis and turning point Illus
trated this great lesson. We are the
med.ating nation OF the world. LIDO
not mean that we undertake not to
mind our own business and to mediate
where other people are quarreling 1
mean the word in a broader sense. We
are compounded OF the nations of the
world. We mediate their blood. we
mediate their traditions. we mediate
their sentiments. their tastes. their
passions; we are ourselves compounded
OF these things. We are therefore able
Ia lln6prsf9nH al l,I
to understand them in the compound
not separately as partisans, but
unitedly as knowing. as comprehend
ing and embodying them all. 1t is in
that sense that I mean that America
is mediating nation. The opinion
OF America. the action of America. is
ready to turn and free to turn in any
direction.
No Hamperins Ambitions.
Did you reflect upon how almost
all other nations. almost every other
nation, has through long centuries been
headed in once direction? That is not
true of the United States. The United
States has no racial momentum. 1t has
no history back of it which makes 1t
run all its energies and all it's ambi-
tions in one particular direction; and
America is particularly free in this,
that she has no hampering ambitions
as world power. If we have been
obliged by circumstances or have con-
| sidered ourselves to be obliged by cir
cumstances in the past, to take terri
tory which we otherwise would not
have. thought of taking. l believe am
| right in saying that we have consid-
cred it our duty to administer that ter
ritory not for ourselves. but for the
people living in it, and to put this bur-
den upon our counsciences not to think
that this think is ours for our use, but
TO regard ourselves as trustees of the
great business for those to whom it
does really belong, trustees ready to
hand over the comique trust at any
time when the business seems to make
that possible and feasible. That is
what l mean by saying we have no
hampering ambitions. We do not want
anything that does not belong to u.s.
Isn't a nation in that position free to
serve other nations, and isn't a nation
like that ready to form some part Of
the assessing opinion Of the world?
MY interest in the neutrality of the
United States is not the petty desire to
keep out of trouble. / have never
looked for it. but have always found
1T. l do not want to walk around
troble. If any man wants scrap
that Is an interesting scrap and worth
| while i am his man. l warn him that
he is not going to draw me into the
scrap for his advertisement, but If he
| is looking for trouble that is the trouble
OF men in general and can help a
little. why then l am in for it. But 1
am interested in neutrality because
there is something so much greater to
do than fight. because there is some
thing. there is a distinction waiting for
this nation that no nation has ever
yet got. That is the distinction OF alb
solute self control and self mastery
Whom do you admire most among your
| friends? The irritable man? The man
out of whom you can get rise with
out trying? The man who will fight
at the drop of the hat. whether he
knows what the hat is dropped for or
| I NOT