Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-16
Text of WescOff Address
Nominating the President

American pastime. An attempt to catch
the presidency by phrases is the work
of folly. The function of a sounding
brass and tinkling cymbal is not ger
name TO the tragic conditions of the
world When the fate of millions is at
stake it is not the part of any man to
stack the cards. With civilization in
peril the sphinx becomes an anachron-
| ism. The anachronism will remain
| the mysterious silence of the ages. The
safety of the nation will not permit the
supreme court to become a political
supply shop. With the whole world
tense and anxious patriotic advice and
suggestion are of more value than
abuse and defamation. Speculation
willis in the blaze of truth. Abusive
phraseology shrivels before the re-
| lentless fact. Honesty is the COM
handing quality of free and patriotic
American.
"What are the realities that face us!
/ In Mexico exist the potentialitles OF
civilization. In her wealth, her MS
/ tory, her schools, her religion, her
needs. her very suffering and patriot
| ism lie the indestructible seeds OF pro-
gress. To have conquered Mexico
would have seated death at the Ameri-
/ can Preside 1t would have destroyed
our prosperity and added hundreds OF
millions of taxation to the burdens OF
! the nation. 1t would have planted dis
trust and hatred of the United States
in every South American republic. 1t
would have forfeited the respect of the
world. 1t would have substituted the
tenets Of imperialism for the princl-
pies of Americanism. 1t would have
prostituted the bravery and patriotism
! of American arms to the greed and
avariCe Of cOncessionaries. 1t would
have robbed the United States OF the
/ grandeur of her mission amongst the
nations of the earth. 1t would have
made might right and repudiated the
| doctrines of Christianity. 1t would
have ignored the fundamental concep-
tons of moral progress and denied the
right of fifteen millions of people to
govern themselves. Ambition and
greed were prepared to sacrifice Amer
lea and all that America stands for, IN
order to acquire the wealth OF Mexico
The diplomacy of 'watchful waiting
ayerted these calamities and preserved
in their original purity the principles
of American freedom and justice
'Watchful waiting repudiated the
, brutal dictum of science that the weak
must go down before the strong. He'll
Mexico lest, over her bloody grave, are
l sown the dragons teeth Of our Owl
destruction.
War with any European nation
would have set the world afame anC
. stopped the march of progress for ;
l century Would any one have had i
) so in order to affirm a 'virile American
ism? Is a 'Yirile AmericaniSm' blood
shed, destruction, the horrors of wa
> and its uncertainties? The substance
; of civilization is the arts, the sciences
= literature, philosophy, industry, an
Il domestic virtues, freedom, religion an
peace. But this is the substance O
Z American GatiOnalism. This is tn
: virility of Americanism. 1t knows n
national boundaries. 1t yet lives i
Il the trenches and broken homes of Eu
} rope and pervades its very throne!
y Therefore. America lives in tn
Il trenches and broken homes OF Ell
l. rope and its thrones. The stupendOu
Is confagration is consuming the error
5 OF statesmen and dynasties; it is nc
+ consuming the substance of civiliza
Il ton. Civilization is a unity. War wit