Omaha daily bee., 1916-10-07

should understand America. America
has held off from the present conflict
with which the rest OF the world is
ablaze, not because she was not inter-
ested, not because she was indifferent,
not because the part she wanted to
play was different part from that,
Roots of the Present War.
1.-THE singularity OF the present war
is that its origin and objects have
never been disclosed. They have OBJ
scure European roots, which we do
not know how TO trace. So great a
conflagration could not have broken
out if the finder had not been there,
and the spark in danger of falling at
any time. We were not the finder.
The spark did not come from us. 1t
will take the long inquiry OF history
to explain this war. But Europe
ought not to misunderstood us. We
are holding off, not because we, do
not feel concerned, but because when
we exert the force of this nation we
want to know what we are\exerting it
for. We have always remembered
and revered the advice of the great
Washington, who advised us to avoid
foreign entanglements. By that,
understand him to mean avoid being
entangled in the ambitions and the
national purposes of other nations. 1t
does not mean, if | may be permitted
to venture an Interpretation of the
meaning of that great man-it does
| NJ hot g. Al.
entanglements of the world, for we
are part of the world, and nothing
that concerns the whole world can
be indifferent 20 us. We want always
to hold the force of America to fight,
tor what? Not merely for the rights
of property or of national ambition,
but for the rights of mankind. Moth
ing that concerns humanity, nothing
that concerns the essential rights OF
mankind, can be foreign or indiffer-
ent to us. But in fighting for these
things, my fellow citizens, we ought
to have tombstone. We want to
have test We ought to know when
ever we act what the purpose is, what
the ultimate goal is.
What We Stand For.
"Now the tombstone is this: On
our own part absolute singleness Of
heart and purpose in our allegiance to
America and then a justification of
that allegiance to America by holding
the doctrine that is truly American,
that the states of America were set
up to vindicate the rights of man and
not the rights of property or the
rights of self-aggrandizement and ag-
erosion. Property we have found to
be the indispensable foundation of
stable institution, but the rights of
humanity are the essence of free in
situations and nothing can take
precedence of them.
$50 that when we look forward to
the years to come-I wish | could say
the months to come-to the end of
this war, we want all the world to
know, that we are ready to lend our
force without stint or limit to the
preservation of peace in the interests
of mankind. The world is no longer
divided into little circles of interest.
The world no longer consists OF
reighborhoods. The world is linked
together in a common life and inter-
est such as humanity never saw be-
fore, and the starting of wars can
never again be a private and individ-
ual matter for the nations. What dis
turbs the life of the whole world is
the concern OF the whole world, and
it is our duty to lend the full force
of this nation, moral and physical, to
a league of nations, which shall see
to it that nobody disturbs the peace
of the world without submitting his
case first to the opinion of mankind.
When you are asked. Aren't you will
ing to fight? reply, Yes, you are
waiting for something worth fighting
for. You are not looking about for pet
ty quarrels, but you are looking about
for that sort of quarrel within whose
intricacies are written all the texts
OF the rights of man; you are looking
for some cause which will elevate |
your spirit, not depress it; some cause
in which it seems glory to shed |
human blood, if it be necessary, so |
that all the common compacts of lib |
erty may be sealed with the blood of |
free men.
Death but an Incident.
Every man has to die. 1t is done
only once, and being single and
distinguished act, it ought to be done
for single and distinguished pur-
pose. 1t ought to be thrilled through
with the purpose of life, so that as
man lived and loved, so he may die.
striving for the things which put all
the corpuscles of his blood into shout
ing shape whenever great things were
proposed.
"You see, therefore, l think, what
the thrill of suggestion in the memo
ries of Nebraska is for me when !
think Of this nation as a whole. 1t
has been necessary for nearly four
years past, my fellow citizens. for me
to think of America as a whole, not
to think of any special interests, not
to think of any special position, not
to think of any special sympathy;
merely to try to conceive in my own
heart what the America that you and
| love is, what it has been, and what
it ought to be; to try to guide the
counsels of this nation so that men
may see afterward stamped upon the
conduct of that time some guiding
some ruling passion of the
mind, some persistent conception OF
what America stands for, so that
along the horizon under the dark,