The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-07-01

L
act, and how will you act7
| The easiest thing is TO strike. The
| brutal thing is the impulsive thing.
No man has to think before he takes
aggressive action. but before man
really conserves the honor by realiz-
| Ing the ideals OF the nation, he has
s to think snM s ss. veil aS what "a he viii do
Do you think the glory OF America
| would be enhanced by war or con-
| quest in Mexico? DO you think that
nation like this against a weak and
| destructive neighbor would reflect
| distinction upon the annals OF the
| United states?
DO you think that It IL our duty TO
carry self defense to point OF die
tation into the affairs OF another
people? The. ideals OF America are
written plain upon every page OF
And I want you 20 know how fully
| l realize whose servant ] am. | do
not own the government Of the Unit
| ed States. even for the time being.
| have no. right I'm the use of IL TO
| express my open passions. have no
| right to express my own ambitions
those ambitions are not coincident
with the ambitions of the nation 1t
self.
And have constantly to remind
| myself that ! am not the servant or
1 those who wish TO enhance the value
| OF their Mexican investments, that |
| am the servant OF the rank and file
! OF the people OF the United states.
| get a great many letters. my fell
| low citizens. from important and In
fuential men In this country. but
| get great many other letters.
get letters from unknown men, from
| names have never been heard and
never will be recorded. and there Is
but one prayer In all OF these let
ters; Mr.. President. do not allow
anybody to persuade you that the
| anybody"
I was bidding goodbye TO the en-
gineer. he said in an undertone Mr..
| President. keep out OF Mexico And
II one man has said that TO me. a
| thousand have said IL 10 me. as
have moved about the country.
II have opportunity 10 engage
them further In conversation they
say "of course. we know that YOU
cannot govern the circumstances OF
the case altogether and II may he
necessary. but for Gods sake. do not
do II unless II is necessar:
| am for the time being the spokes-
man OF such people. gentlemen
serving that the greatest forces In
| the world and the only permanent
forces are the moral forces We have
the evidence OF very GSmpetent
| the last DAYS OF his life upon so
much as he knew Of human history
force had never ACCOMPLISHED any
thing that was permanent.
Force will not accomplish any
| thing that Ia permanent. venture
Is going on on tho other side 81 the
sea. The permanent things VIII he
accomplished nfterward when tho
| opinion of mankind IL brought 70
lee nd ~ Is
| thing that will hold tho world steady
Ia this same silent. insistcnt, all
powerful opinion OF mankind.
| Force Car sometimes hold things
| steady until opinion has time TO
| form. hut no force that was ever
| excrtcd except In response to that
| opinion was ever n, conquering and
| predominant force
think tho sentence In American
| history that myself am proudest Of
| ls that ia tn" Introductory sentences
| OF the Declaration Of Independence.
whore the writers say that n due re
| spect for the opinion OF mankind de-
| n1ands that they state the reasons
| for what they are about to do.
| for the opinions OF mankind demand
| ed that those who started the present
| European war should have stated
| their reasons, but they did not pay
any heed TO the opinion OF mankind.
! and the reckoning will come when
the settlement comes.
So. gentlemen. am willing. no
matter what my personal fortunes
mankind. Personally. II will be n
| matter OF indifference 10 me what
| the, verdict on Nov. is, provided
when any later jury sits "i / shall get
their Judgment In my favor. Not my
favor personally-what difference
does that make?-but In my favor as
an honest and conscientious spokes-
man OF great nation.
There are some gentlemen who are
under the delusion that the power OF
does not. IL comes from the bottom.
Power and virtue OF the tree does
not come from the blossoms and the
| fruit down into the roots but Ii
parts OF the earth where the power
| Is derived which displays itself in
| the blossoms and tho fruit. and |
know that along the silent, speech-
is slowly coming up the great sap
| OF moral purpose and love Of
justice and reverence for human
| ity which constitutes the only virtue
and distinction OF the American pco-
pie.
Look for your rulers of the future.
Can you pick out the families that
are TO produce them? Can you pick
out the localities that are going to
produce them?
You have heard what has been
said about Abraham Lincoln. It is
| singular how touching every refer
ence to Abraham Lincoln is. II al
ways makes you feel that you wish
you had been able to help him in
some fashion to fight the battles that
he was lighting some times almost
| alone.
Could you have predicted. II you
had seen Abraham Lincoln's birth
and boyhood where that great rul-
| ing figure OF the world was going to
spring from? l have presided over
a university. but I never deceived
myself by supposing that by uni
versity processes you were produc-
| ! knew that all university could do
II IL knew it's business. was to in
tcrpret the moral forces of the
world, and let the young man who
| sat under Its influence know the
| very truth OF truths about where It
| came from and that no man could
produce IT unless he felt in his blood
| every corpuscle spring into delighted
| life with the mention OF ideals
| which have lifted men slowly. OH so
| slowly, up the arduous grades which
| have resisted progress since the
world began.
| SO. gentlemen. I have not come
remind you that you do not con-
| stitutc the United States that do
/ not constitute the United states;
| that IL Is something bigger and
| greater and finer than any OF us:
| that IL was porn In an ideal and only
by pursuing an ideal IN the face OF
every adverse Circumstance will n
continue TO deserve the beloved
name which We love and for which
we are ready to die. the name
America