The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-19


from their teachings if we set our face
like flint against the unworthy spirit
/ which today would teach us that peace
stands above Righteousness, and that
this unrighteous peace can be secured
| by the refusal TO prepare to defend
our just rights. Either we must sur
render our rights, and at the same
time our self-respect, or else we must
be Ready to defend our rights with a
hand trained to exercise the weapons
of free men, and with a heart Steeied
to that stern courage for the lack of
which the possession OF the softer viz
tues can never atone
i Third Great Crisis.
Such is the issue. 1t is as clear cut
in this year 1916 as it was in 1861 or
1875. In the history of this country
this is the third great crisis and it CO.
incides wi n a tremendous world crisis.
The issue IS: arc we prepared with a
sane and lofty idealism to fit ourselves
to render great service to mankind by
rendering ourselves fit for our own
service, or are we content to avoid eff
fort and labor in the present by pre-
Eparing to tread the path that China
has trodden?
Choose Some Course.
We must choose one course or the
other. We shall gain nothing by max
ing believe that we can avoid choosing
of many of our politicians in congress
and outside strongly resembles the at
| titude of many. of the politicians in the
gold and silver controversy of twenty
years ago. At that time the free sill
yer men were bold and insistent, just
as the professional pacifistS are today.
At that time, as today, the great bulk
of the politicians, not only in the
Democratic party but in the Republi-
can party, were at first mortally afraid
| tn ia sill
made every effort to compromise, and
| to take some position that should not
| be either for gold or for silver Above
all they strove to avoid the use of the
world gold" The hfty-one Republi-
cans who, the other day, voted against
an adequate army. are the spiritual
successors of the Republicans who.
twenty years ago, in congress voted for
all kinds of half measures which they
| hoped would convince the free silver
people that we were to have the I'M
limited coinage of silver, and would
convince the other people that we
were not to have it. The older among
| you OF course remember how at that
! day the politicians Squirmed in their
ef1ort to prevent the Republican ma
tlonal convention from using the word
! gold; how they demanded that in
stead we should use some such ex-
preston as having each dollar equal
~ as good as every other dollar" how
1
But when the time came, when the
lines were drawn, and the battle was
on, 1t became perfectly evident that
the only way to beat the free silver
! people was to come straight out for
! the gold standard without eouiyoca-
ton or tinidity. The effort to avoid
a tight on the currency, and make the
Ight only on the tariff was a failure
me gold men stood for a high tariff:
put tlrst and foremost they made the
Lgnt on the issue of maintaining and
securing the gold standard, the sound
money standard; and if they had tried
oouple dealing and hesitation and
equlVocatlon they would have lost and
they would have deserved to lose. Let
us today profit by their example
Water on Both Shoulders.
IN any serious crisis there are al
ways men VINO try to carry water on
poth These men. try to
escape the hard necessity of choice he
tween two necessarily opposite al
ternat1ves. by trying to work up some
compromise. In actual practice, this
compromise usually proves to COM
b1ne with exquisite nicely all the de
reefs and none of the ADVANTAGES of
| Doth courses. 1t is true that in or
dlnary political matters compromise
is essential. 1t is true that in ordi-
| nary tunes it is essential But there
come great crises when compromise is
elther impossible or fatal This is one
of those crises. There is no use in
saying that we will fit ourselves to
ueIeno ourselves a little, but not
much. Such a position is equivalent
10 announcing that, if necessary we
snail hit but that we shall only hit
soft The only right principle is to
prepare thoroughly or not at ALL The
only right principle is to avoid hit
| ting II 1T is possible to do so, but
never under any circumstances to hit
sort. 10 go to war little, but not
much, is the one absolutely certain
way to insure disaster. To prepare
a little but not much, stands on a
par with a city developing a fire de-
partment which, after a fire occurs,
can put it out a little, but not much.
Have Ourselves to Blame
| Yet at this moment the majority of
our political leaders either keep silent
on the vital issues before our people,
| or else engage in conflicts which are
almost meaningless because the men
ranged on one side advocate total I'M
| preparedness and the men ranged on
the other side nervously deny that
they desire any real and thorough
of affairs speak badly for this nation.
1 say this nation" advisedly. 1 mean
you and me, my fellow countrymen.
The executive and legislative agents of
the government at Washington ought,
| of course, to lead in the right direc-
ton. But ultimately we. the people,
have only themselves to blame If they
/ do not; for it is our fault if we per-
init them to lead US wrong. There
fore, 1 wish you to understand that 1
am putting the blame primarily on US,
the people, on ourselves; although it
is necessary, in order to avoid circum-
| locudon, that I speak at times of our
/ governmental agents
Turn Down Our Desire.
We, through our Representatives at
| Washington, have absolutely refused
in the smallest degree to prepare dur
/ ing these twenty-five months of world
cataclysm. We have refused to learn
the smallest part of the lesson being
| written the scroll of torment in
Europe. We have fatuously refused
to take the smalle st step, either to do
duty Il. do d,1t.