The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-11
Tells Organization America
Completely Has Lost Prestige
as a Nation and Is Rendered
a Negligible Quantity as an
International Influence.


International Influence.
Former Ambassador to Ger
many Declares If We Are
Self-Respecting, Army and
Navy Are Essential to Pro-
tect the Principles of the
People.
Washington, April 11-Dr. David
Jayne Hill of New York, former Am
bassador to Germany, in a speech be-
fore the annual convention of the
Navy League of the United States
yesterday vigorously denounced the
policy which, has caused a. complete
loss of our former prestige as a Ma
ton and rendered our Government
virtually negligible quantity as an
International Influence
He made a, strong plea for an ade-
quate navy, declaring the first esz
sential element is the protection Of the
individual citizen against injury by
any power.
DIR. Hill referred. fee1ingly to the
fact that within the last year 'fsev-
eraN hundred American citizens-nen,
women and children-have been done
TO death on sea and land, without
cause or proyocation," and to the fact
that "at least two States Of the I'm
ion have been invaded by armed force,
and not only civilians but our uni
formed soldiers have been shot, down
upon our own SOIL
I'm the formation of the American
Union, said DIR. HiIlS 1.-THE purposes
actuating its founders were distinctly
realized and expressed. They are
contained in the preamble of the Fed
era1 Constitution. The one purpose
specified in this preaEnble
to other than purely domestic mat
ters--is the provision for the com
mon defense not of the States, but of
the people. 1t is deserving of notice
that there is here no reference to any
state. The duties of the States and
the obligations of the union to the
States are reserved for consideration
in the body of the Constitution itself
and should be regarded as logical con-
sequences of the primary purposes
which inspired the creation of gen
era1 Government capable of treating
with foreign nations.
THE first of the essential elements
of American foreign policy, therefor e,
is the protection of the individual citi-
zen, insofar as he needs to be defended
against ipjury by any. foreign power.
1t was this purpose, among others,
that the national government was
formed. Only such a government,
capable of negotiating with other SOW
ereign states upon equal terms, and
of meeting them If necessary with
this purpose. The separate states,
formed from the British colonies, were
abundantly able to protect life and
property within their own borders.
It was when the American citizen went
byoRd these borders that he needed
protection
more than anywhere. else in the
world the idea of the Importance of
the individual citizen entered into the
political conceptions of the American
colonists.: The whole <edffice of gov
ernment was founded upon it. The
state, in this conception, has no other
foundation than the inherent rights of
its citizens. \ All the American. constf-
tutionss have centered about this idea.
It is only of late that the peace, or the
ease, or the pleasure of the caJor1ty,
has been considered of more import
ance than the ina1ienab1e rights of
the Individual.
I'VE have drifted very far from the
principles upon which this govern
ment was founded, and undoubtedly
new and Revolutionary tendencies
have recently become fashionable; but
it cannot be disputed that the Con
stitution of the United States created
a direct relation. between the national
government and every individual
within its jurisdictionEa relation
which instituted a new legal right for
every citizen and new obligation for
the whole nation. That new compact
for the common defense of the peo-
pie was designed to secure for every
citizen, however poor or weak, or
iotherwise defenseless, an effective
protection against wrong, wherever he
might be, in the innocent exercise OF
his legitimate business; and it in
lvoIves<the duty of this government, in
all its branches to place behind the
of it's hu1nblest citizen, the whole
power of the nation That is the
spirit of the Constitution, which the
| supreme law of the land
Continuing, DR.. Hill said:
rThe constttutionally ordained means
for enforcing this. supreme law are
the army and NAVY. In addition to
the defense of the Union itself and of
the rights of the citizens beyond the
Jurisdiction of the States, the Consti-
tuition imposes specifically upon the
Congress the obligation to insure the
execution OF Section w. of Article
W. which reads: The United States
shall guarantee to every State in this
Union a republican form of govern
ment. and shall protect each of them
against invasion
'The entire government presumably
with a full comprehension Of it's obi
cations, is so1emn1y bound by its oath
tof office to support the Constitution
and hence to surtain these guarantees
This involves a grave responsibility
and for meeting it effectively the gov
eminent is answerabIe to the people
who have conf11ed to it their security
1.-The pressing question of the hour
lis: Have we. as a, people, abandoned
the essential policies Of a self-respect-
ling nation? Have we ceased to main
tain the principle, all for every one
land every one for alp
Have we become to self centered
SO fond of ease, so fearful of personal
danger, SO Indifferent to the fate OF
Others, so negligent of national duty