The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1916-02-18

midst of great crisis-one OF three.
The first was the desperate struggle
of the baby republic to maintain life
between 1776 and 1915. The second
was the terrific fever which ratified the
bones of the half-grown nation from
1851 to 1866. The third is different.
The hungry, blood-mad wolves o!
war are snarling all about us. We are
charged with the problem Of taking
means of defense against the time
when they may turn from their car.
cases to attack US. We must insure
for ourselves prosperity. For the good
of the whole we must assume the task
OF harmonizing all the multitude
Of discordant and misunderstanding
groups OF people that compose our
body policemen and women of a
great variety of racial antecedents, OF
political tenets, of religious beliefs, of
capital and labor, of education and
ignorance-and weld them into one
friendship with cur neighbors to North
and South and across the seas.
So in this time Of stress it behooves
us to keep our national temper and
deal fairly and mean what we say. 1t
Is well worth while to consider the
historian Lecky's description of George
Washington:
In the dependency OF long contln.
ued failure, in the elation of sudden
success, at times when his soldiers
were deserving by hundreds, and when
malignant plots were formed against
his reputation, amid the constant quar-
rels, rivalries, and Jealousies Of his
subordlnates, In the dark hour of ma.
tional ingratltude. and in the midst
OF the most universal and intoxicating
flattery. Washington was always the
same calm. wise, Just and single mind.
ed man. pursuing the course which he
believed to be right without fear or
favor or fanatlcism; equally free from
the passions that spring from interest
and from the passions that spring from
imagination. .......
He never acted on the impulse Of
an absorbing or uncalculating en-.
thusiasm, and he valued very highly
fortune, position, and reputation; but
at the command OF duty he was ready
to risk and sacrifice them all.
He was, in the highest sense OF
the words, gentleman and a man of
honor and ba oorrtad {n4o ,,,,hIIo no.
the standard OF private morals.
1T was at first the constant dread
OF large sections of the American PEG.
pie that II the old government were
overthrow they would fall into the
hands OF military adventures and I'M
dergo the yoke of military despotlsm.
1t was mainly the transparent integ.
rity of the character of Washington
that dlspelled the fear"
There has rarely been a time when
the people had more need OF the les.
sons of Washington's life than now.
We are in the midst of the uncertain.
ties visited upon us, as a people at
peace, by a conhagration which has en-.
veloped continent in war. In year
OF peace, OF sowing and reaping, of
the productive activities of market and
factory. we suddenly found ourselves
face to face with the peril of such
panic as the world had never wit.
messed. Industry withered as under a
blight; trade dried up at the roots;
our chief export crop lost for time
twothlrds OF its value; specie pay.
ments were suspended in our financial
centers. Instead of having heavy trade
balances In our favor, we were called
upon for gold by the ton to pay for Sc.
curities sent back to US by foreign in.
vestors. Want and restitution ap-
peared where there had been plenty.
We have come far since those black
days. but dangerous road still
stretches before US. Let US remember
Washington, the commander in chief
of one battle.
That was Yorktown. Washington
took the command of the armies of
the colonies in July, 1875. He received
the surrender Of CORVALLIS in Octo.
Der, 1881, more than six years later.
These six years were spent in avoid.
ing battle. There was one brilliant
sortie-the battle of Trenton. But the
history of his campaigns is the his.
tory of sKillful retreats, like that which
followed Trenton, rear-guard actions
defensive fights when attacked. disas.
trous offensive movements like that
on Germantown.
He had no government behind him
only loose confederation of colo
MES. which refused to pay their levies
and left him at one time with a dis.
couraged remnant of only 5000 sol.
diers. He avoided battle with the Bit.
ish; he used the arts of the Indian
fighter and slipped out of the very
jaws Of disaster; he moved from place
to place, But he could not evade hun.
ger. cold, nakedness. dissension, dis.
couragement. These met him In frontal
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