The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-03-03
Should Keep Out Of War At
Sacrifice of All Except Humanity
Confidential Address at Gridiron Club Saturday GiOen
Out by Consent-Ashanaed to be Rash as Much as
to be Coward-Un United States Founded Upon
Principle of Human Liberty and of Humanity.

son told members and guests at a Grid
iron club dinner last night that America
uught to keep out Of the European war
at the sacrifice OF everything except
this single thing upon which her char
acter and her history are founded-her
sense OF humanity and justice"
The address was confidential, since
the speeches at the dinners of the Grid
iron club, composed OF newspaper cor
respondents, are not reported. 1t was
made public tonight, however, with the
consent of the president and the club,
because many OF those who heard 1t
urged that it should go to the coun-
try.
The president spoke OF the nation 5
affairs with unusual gravity His hear
ers, including several hundrd members
Of congress, government officials bus
mess men and correspondents, were
brought to their feet cheering when he
concluded with these words:
q would be just as much ashamed to
be rash as 1 would to be coward. Valor
IS self-respecting. Valor is circumspect
valor strikes when it is right to
strike. Valor is Withholding itself
from all small implications and en-
tanglements and waits for the great op-
portunity when the sword will fash as
if it carried the light of heaven upon its
blade"
In his address he said:
SILENT UNLESS SOMETHING IS
sTATRED.
Il have very little to say tonight ex-
cept to express my warm appreciation
of the invariable courtesy of this club
and OF the reception you have so gen.
erously accorded me. l find that I am
seldom tempted to sy anything now
adays unless somebody starts something
and tonight nobody has started any
thing.
Your talk, Mr.. Toastmaster, has been
great deal about candidacy for the
presidency. II is not new feeling on
my part, but one which entertain with
greater intensity than formerly, that
man who seeks the presidency of the
United States for anything that it will
bring him is an audacious fool The re-
sponsibilities of the Office ought to sober
a. man even before he approaches it
One of the difficulties of the office sell
dom appreciated, dare say, is that it is
very difficult to think while so many
people are talking; particularly while
so many people are talking in way that
obscures counsel and is entirely off the
point.
PRINCIPLE OF LIBERTY AND
HUMANITY.
The point in national affairs, gen.
tiemen, never lies along the lines Of ex-
pediency. 1t always rests in the field
of principle The United States was not
founded upon any principle of expedi-
ency; it was founded upon profound
principle of human liberty and of hui
manity. and whenever it bases its policy
upon any other foundations than those
II builds on the sand and not upon solid
rock. 1t seems to me that the most en-
Tightening thing a man can do is sug-
gested by something which the vice pres
ident said tonigh, He complained that
he found men who, when their atten-
ton was called to the signs of spring
did not see the blue heaven. did not see
the movement of free clouds, did not
think OF the great spaces of the quiet
continent, but thought only of some i'm
mediate and pressing piece of busi-
ness.
1T seems to me that if you do not
think Of the things that lie beyond and
away from and disconnected from this
scene in which we attempt to think and
conclude you will inevitably be lee
astray. I would a great deal rather
ks:ow what they are talking about
around quiet iresdes all over this coun-
try than what they are talking about II