The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-02-03
THE LEON REPORTER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY g. 1916

the only sort of leadership and the
only sort of safety that America Gov
cts. We must all of us think, from
| this time out in terms of the world,
and must learn what it is that Ameri-
ca has set out to maintain as stan
dard bearer for all those who love
| liberty and justice and Righteousness
and political action.
Why He Changed His Mind
II dare say when you learned be-
fore-hand that l was expecting to ad-
dress you on the subject OF prepared
ness, you recalled the address winch
made to congress something more
than a year ago, in which said that
this question of military prepared
ness was not pressing subject. But
more than year has gone by since
then and l would be ashamed If did
not learn something in fourteen
months. The minute l stop chang
ing my mind as president with the
change of all the circumstances in
the world, will be back number.
There is another thing about which
/ have changed my mind. A year
ago l was not in favor of tariff
board, and l will tell you why: Be-
cause then the only purpose OF tar
if board was to keep alive an unpro-
fitable controversy. If you set up
any board of inquiry whose purpose
it is to keep business disturbed, and
to make it always question what
you are going to do about the public
policy of the government, l am OPP
posed to it. And the very same men
who were DINING it into our ears
that what business wanted was to be
let alone, were, many Of them, men
who were insisting that we should
start up controversy that meant
that we could not let it alone.
There is a great deal more opin-
ion voiced in this world than is con-
sistent with logic.
An Economic Revolution
"But the circumstances Of the
present time are these: There is go
ing on in the world, under our eyes,
an economic revolution. No man
has the elements of it, clearly in his
mind and no part of the business OF
legislation with regard to interna-
tional trade can be undertaken until
we do understand it. And members
of congress are too busy to make it
possible within a sufficiently short
space of time for them to master the
change that is coming.
Il don't know anything about what
is going to happen when the war is
over, and neither do you.
There are two Numerically OPP
posed views as to immigration: some
men tell us that at least million
men are going to leave the country
and others tell us that many millions
are going to rush into it. Neither
party knows what they are talking
about and l am one of those prudent
individuals who would really like to
know the facts before he forms an
opinion; not out of wisdom, but out
of prudence. I have come to have a
wholesome respect for facts. l have
had to yield to them sometimes be-
fore saw them coming, and that has
led me to keep a weather eye open in
order that may see them coming.
There is so much to understand
that we have not the data to compre-
bend, that l for one would not dare
SO far as my advice is concerned, to
leave the government without the
adequate means of inquiry.
But that is another parenthesis.
What am trying to impress upon
you now is that the circumstances OF
the world today are not what they
will be tomorrow. cannot tell you
what the international relations OF
this country will be tomorrow and l
use the word literally. And l would
not dare keep silent and let the
country suppose that tomorrow was
certain to be as bright as today.
America Will Never BE AggressOr
America will never be the agrees
sor. America will always seek to the
last point at which her honor is in
volved to avoid the things which dis
turb the peace of the world. But
America does not control the circum-
stances of the world and We must be
sure that we are faithful servants of
those things which we love and are
ready to defend them against every
contingency that may affect. or i'm
pair them.
But, as l was saying a moment
ago, we must seek the means which
are consistent with the principles OF
our lives. 1t goes without saying,
though apparently it is necessary to
say it to some excited persons, that
one thing this country never will en-
dure is a system that can be called
militarism. But militarism consists
in this, gentlemen; it consists in pre-
pairing great machine whose only
use is for war, and giving it no use
to which to apply itself. Men who
are in charge of edging tools and bid
den to prepare them for exact and
scientific use, grow very impatient il
they are not permitted to use them
and do not believe that the creation
of such an instrument is an insur
ance of peace. I believe it involves
the danger of all the temptations that
skillful persons have to use the
things that they know how to use.
But we don't have to do that.
America is always going to use her
army in two ways. She is going to
use it for the purpose of peace, and
she is going to use it as a nucleous
for expansion into those things
which she does believe in, namely,
the preparation of her citizens to
take care of themselves.
Two Sides to Question
t.rrhoro GRO two cidos IN tho nuoc.