Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-06-09
SPEECH OF GOVERNOR WILLIS
At Chicago National Republican Convention NOminat-
ing Theodore e. Burton as Candidate For Presi-
dent of The United States

and made imperative the return to
power of the Republican party to re-
gain for the nation its lost prestige
abroad and restore to its people a
stable industrial prosperity founded
on something more humanitarian and
abiding than the misfortunes of our
sister-nations. A prosperity fed upon
dead mems bones is CHASTITY and can
not long endure. A nations pride,
eountry's welfare are at stake here.
This is the time and place for clear
thinking, passionless poise and unsel-
fish purpose. The eyes of the world
are upon you; you "shall nobly save
or meanly lose the last best hope of
earth"
The Republican party was made to
handle situation like the present.
Our foreign relations are now in
hopeless tangle, and Americans are
less proud of their country than they
once were, even though we are as
sured on high authority that "we are
too proud to fight" The foreign pol
icy of the national administration has
brought chagrin at home and contempt
abroad; it has vacillated between the
pen and the sword, and It's policy of
"watchful waiting" has demonstrated
that there is more of waiting" than
of "watchfulness" We have alter
nately coddled all the chief bandits in
Mexico End supplied them with the
bullets which are now being sent back
to us in the mangled bodies of our
citizens and soldiers. We have lost
the confidence and gained the i'll viii
of every nation in Europe; their good
will and confidence can be regained
only by the Republican policy of fair
ness to all, favoritism to none, with
the maintenance of an absolute un-
! f1inching neutrality among all the bel
igerent powers.
The evil effects of the outworn sec
tional tariff policy, adopted by the ma
tional administration, have been, to
some extent, obscured by the, fever
ish ephemeral activity which is the
outgrowth of the lamentable European
conflict. Every sane man knows that
but for this unnatural and inhumane
stimulus or industries would be pros
! trate, and we would be face to face
with industrial depression, such as we
have not seen in half century. And
when this world-war ends, another
will begin; but that viii be an indus
trial war that will know no neutrals-
all will be belligerents. As military
and naval preparedness adequate to
! make any nation or combination of
nations hesitate to violate the rights
of our citizens or the sanctity of our
flag is guaranty of peace, so IN
dustrial preparation through the
enactment of Republican protective
!. tariff law is essential, if we would
J maintain American wage rates and
standards Of living.
: In the midst of world problems, we
need in the White House a red
blooded American who knows the
) world The states of Central and South
America are now luke-warm and
suspicious; we must nominate as our
candidate a man who knows them and
whom they know. The spirit of Pam
Americanism first found its expression
in the ringing voice of the Plumed
Knight, James G. Blaine; if we would
regain our lost prestige in Latin
America and secure for our people
the opportunity for commercial ex-
! pansion which those countries afford
we must win their confidence by plac-
t ing at the head of the nation a man
in sympathy with their aspirations
: and acquainted with their deeds. The
: nominee of this convention must be
J. Republican seasoned in the expert
: ences of the past, alive to the needs
: of the present and able to hear and
c heed the beckoning voice of the on
coming future He must be a fearless
t opponent of extravaganza and q
). staunch advocate of of old-fashioned
n economy; he must know the fiscal
: systemI of the country and be an un-
s compromising defender of the patri.
o otic nation-building policy of protec,
t ton to American Workingmen anC
e American enterprise. He must per
e sonify in record and character the
d ideals and aspirations of the rank ane
l. file of the party and thus promott
e harmony and unity by holding fas
e to the lessons of wise experience OF
l. the one hand and promoting san'
n progress on the other. His record
y must be not only unimpeachable, bu
n it must be well known-there mus
/ be nothing to uncover, nothing to ex
: plain away, nothing to apologize for
In public career and in private lif'
g there must be no flaw in his armor
II no stain upon his shield. He must b.
it. Continued on page ~