Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-03

afraid that it is not going to be done.
l would not do the injustice that that
implication would involve to the gal
liant men upon the hill yonder in Wash
ington who make the laws of the ma
ton. They are going to do good deal
of debating, but they are going TO de-
liver the goods. Do not misunderstood
me. I do not mean that ! can oblige
them to deliver the goods! They are
going to deliver the goods because you
want them delivered.
Il am a believer not only in some OF
the mon who talk. though not all Of
them, but also in that vast body or my
fellow citizens who do not do any
talking. and / would a great deal rath-
err listen to the still small voice that
comes out of the great body of the ma :
ton than to all the vocal orators in the
land. But there are times when l must
come out and say DO not let the voice
be too small and too still: when
must come and say Fellow citizens.
get upon your hind legs and talk and
tell the people who represent you,
whether they are in your state capital
or in your National Capital. what 1t Is
that the nation desires and demands
Because the thing that everybody Is
listening for in a democracy is the
tramp. tramp. tramp of the facts.
Did you ever realize what the force
of a democracy is? May I give you a
small. whimsical example? A cynical
English writer once said that the prob
multitude OF knaves to make an honest
people. Now 1 for my par. deny utter
ly that il is a multitude of knaves, but
If 1t were multitude of knayes as
numerous as the people of the United
States, you could make an honest ma
tion out of them in this way: they are
not all interested in the same things
selfshly at the same time: they are go
ing to take care of each other and neu-
tralize each other and inspire one an
nj n hot O
great as this surrounded. let US say. a
foot ball field, too far away from the
field to hear anything that was said
out in the middle of the field itself. and
suppose two men dressed in ordinary
street dress and not expected to POM
mel each other as the players perhaps
are. should come out before the play
ers and. standing in the sight Of that
great multitude, should suddenly fall
to blows. You know what would hap
Put them out! put them out" and there
would be universal Indignation that
they should have 80 lost their self
possession and forgotten their decency.
of those men said to the other some
thing nobody would allow another man
to say to him without hitting him.
Perhaps there was not man in the
whole body of the audience who would
not have struck the first blow upon
the same provocation. but it was not
his provocation He did not hear what
was said: il he did 1t was not addressed
hot. Now. that is the way to answer
the Englishman's cynical question.
This country is SO vast, Its interests
are so various. there are so many COM
peting interests in it, that while any
ity are cool. And the vast majority are
going to sit In judgment on the mi
nority and tell them they have got to
keep their heads and decide the quar-
rel in decent fashion. That is the way
democracy works. We are all of US
At to be judges about what is none Of
our business. and that is the way that
great bodies Of men come to the most
cool headed judgments. Their passions
are not involved. their special interests
are not involved; they are looking at
the thing with a certain removed, with
a certain GOODNESS of judgment.
''shall We Be Prepared
II am anxious. therefore, my fellow
citizens. that you should look at the
hot stuff of war before you touch it.:
that you should be cool: that you
should apply your hard business sense
to the proposition. Shall We be caught
unawares and do a scientific job like
tyros and ignoramuses. or shall we be
ready? Shall we know how to do it,
and when it Is necessary to do it; shall
we do it to the queens taste? 1 know
what the answer of America is. but
want 1t to be Enthusiastically uttered,
and l want it to be Enthusiastically ut
tered now. Because, speaking with all
solemnity, ] assure you that there is
not a day to be lost: not. understand
me. because of any new or specially
critical matter, but because l cannot
tell twenty-four hours at time
whether there Is going to be trouble
or not. And whether there is or not
does not depend upon what 1 do or
what l say. or upon what any man in
the United States does or says. 1t de-
ponds upon what foreign governments
do; what the commanders of ships at