East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1916-06-14
KEYNOTE SPEECH


Il took washington with his allies
and sword eight years to win recogni-
ton Of his country's liberty; II took
Washington and his successors So
I years of endless negotiation TO win
recognition of American neutrality
And this eighty years of struggle wove
the doctrine of neutrality so closely
into the warp and woof of our nation
al life that to tear it out now would
unravel the very threads Of our exist
ence,
Where is the American hardy
enough to challenge a policy so flrm-
ly fixed in the nations traditions? is
there among us any man bold enough
to set his wisdom above that Of Wash
ington, his patriotism above that oil
Hamilton and his Amerlcanism above
that of jefferson? Is there any AM
erican so blind to our past, so hostile
to our future that, departing from our
policy of neutrality, he would hurl US
headlong into the maelstrom Of the
war across the sea?
The president of the United States
J stands today where stood the men VINO
made America and who saved Amerl-
ca. He stands where John Adams
stood. when he told King George that
America was the land he loved ana
that peace was her grandeur and her
welfare. He stands where General
Grant stood when he said there never
was a war that could not have been
settled better some other way, and he
has shown his willingness to try the
WAYS of peace before he seeks the
paths Of war He stands where
George Washington stood when he
prayed that this country would never
unsheath the sword except in self-de-
Tense 80 long as justice and our essen
tial rights could be preserved without
it.
For vain glory or for selfish pur-
pose, others may cry up a policy ot
blood and iron but the president OF
the United States has acted on the
relief that the leader of nation who
plunges his people into an unneces'
sary war, like Pontius PLATE vainS
washes his hands of innocent blood
while the earth quakes and the heav-
ems are darkened and thousands give
up the ghost
Only by standing on this rock OF
Americanism, against which, dashed
the waves of conflict. could the pres
ident Of the United States faced by a
world in arms, save this country from
being drawn into the whirlpool of dis
aster one false step in any direction
and he would have carried the nation
with him over the precipice
This difference, my friends, be-
tween what is and what might be-
is well Illustrated by two pictures
which hung on the walls of the art
museum here IN the city of st. Louis
during the Louisiana Purchase Expo
sition
one Of these pictures portrayed the
famous warriors who have stricken
terror into the heart of mankind since
the dawn Of history, Alexander the
Great was there. Caesar was there
Hannibal was there, Napoleon was
there, and on either side Of this sin
lister group lay in endless rows the
sheeted dead Of war
The other picture represented
hands, myriads of hands, humaniy's
hands stretching upwards towards tho
sky-gnared hands of labor and
wrinkled hands Of age. smooth hands
of youth and tiny hands Of babyhood
strong hands Of men and delicate
hands Of women-hands of aspiration
stretching upward from divine inspir-
alton toward betterment and peace
These two pictures symbolic the
banners of this campaign,
Others may follow the Lords OF
War who ride among the corpses Of
mankind. We follow the president Of
the United States and seek inspiration
Of humanity that aspires to higher
things.
If Washington and Lincoln Were
Right, the President Is Right.
BY opposing what we stand for to-
day the republican party opposes
what Hamilton stood for a century
ago The founder OF the republican
Marty and tho fouudar of the damn
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We who follow jefferson stand where
jefferson stood. bu, We look in vain
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