Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1916-05-18
Address of Elihu Root

man Of the New York state Republican
| convention. delivered In Carnegie Hall,
New York. the Hon, Efthu Root said:
We are entering upon a contest for
the election Of a president and the con.
! troll Of governmen under conditions
essentially new In the experience Of
! our party and Of II country. The
forms and methods which We ara
about TO follow are Old and familiar.
but the grounds for action. the demand
VI great events for decision upon Ma
tionsi conduct. the moral forces urg.
ing IL a solution of vaguely outlin-
ed questions. the tremendous con
sequences Vt wisdom or folly In nation
al policy, all these are new To the great
mass Of American voters now living.
: Never since 1854 has AN election been
p, frsueht With consequences so vital 10
national life. All the ordinary consid.
erations which play So great Il part In
our presidential campaigns are and
ought To b. dwarfed into tnsiSnincance.
Democratic Party 70 the Bar.
For the nrst time In twenty years We
enter the field as the party Of opposi-
tion. and Indeed 1t Is a much longer
time. for in 1885 in all respects save
the tariff, the real opposition TO the
stuniy and patriotic course OF Presi'
dent Cleveland was to I've found iii the
PARTY that followed Mr.. Bryan. II IS
our dat, AS the opposition ~ bring the
Democratic IMrty to the bar of public
I .juis ment. IL put II upon Its defense
So far as We see Just II substantial
grounds IL c~riticise It's conduct II 10
ask the voters or the country 10 decide
whether that party. organized as II Is.
represented as II has been since 1t
came into power. has shown itself
competent to govern the country N It
should be governed and whether Its
spirit. its policies. and its performance
are the best that the American people
can do III the way Of popular self gov.
eminent.
In the field Of domestic affairs some
facts relevant 10 these questions had
already been aSrertained when In !Au.
susi. ipla. IL siVat AAoiSpVah wa
began. During the year and a half Of
Democratic control Of government In
a period Of profound peace there had
been a steady decrease IN American
production. In exports and In revenue
and a steady Increase In imports and
expenditures. Enterprise had halted.
The Democratic tariff had been framed
' ,V,np on c x-nu-.1 r.p,t1fn fi,, % oil pr,.
lection. however moderate and reason.
able. and because all protection was
repudiated practically all Information
from competent witnesses as 10 the eff
| feet new provisions would have upon
business was rejected. Ii was with
Just cause that the enterprise OF the
country halted, tilnld and lrresolute,
Ut government.
Foreign Competition After War.
The great war has not changed the
lesson which We had already learned
when It began. 1t has but obscured
further demonstra don. 1t has caused
IN enormous demand for som things
which the United States II able to pro-
duce in largo quantities, ana in these
lines Of production, while other indus.
ersss still languish. there have been ex-
tensive employment Of labor. great ex-
ports and q great influx Of money.
But this b temporary. It must o
cease, and when tho factories have
stopped and their laborers are no
longer employed We must deal with a
situation for which wise forethought
should mako provision. More impor-
tant still, the wal has paralyzed the
peaceful Industries Of all. Europe and
has stopped that competitive foreign
production which in July, 1914, had al
ready entered American markets to
supersede American products under
the tariff law Of 1913. The wa has
thus given to American products an
immunity from competition far more
effective than any possible protective
tariff. But that is temporary, and
when the war Is over, when foreign
production begins again. the American
market compared with Impoverished
Europe will be more than ever before
the object of desire and effort. and we
shall become the dumping ground of
the world to the destruction of II
own industries unless that Is prevented
by 4 wise and competent government
How Can Ns Defend ourssivss7
But It Il not from domestic ques-
tions that the most dif1cult problems
Of this day arise. The events Of the
last few years have taught rs many
lessons. We have learned that civiliza-
tton Il but a veneer thinly covering the
savaee nature Of man. How can this
nation, which loves peace and intends
justice, avoid the curse OF militarism
and at the same t1me preserve Its In.
dependence, defend its territory, pro-
tsct the lives and liberty and proper
" Of IT. citizens? How can we pre-
vent the same principles of action, the
came policies Of conduct the same
8Oe0e0 Of military power which are ex.
habttsd In Europe from laying hold
upon The vast territory and practically
aadscsodsd wealth Of the new world
Have W suu national ideahi VIII
anybody live for thsm7 Would any
boAy de for thsm' Or m w all for
sAss ard comfort and wealth at any
ps1csl Confronted by such questions
- tAsss and the practical situations
watch give rise to them, y the coun-
tty sacsnsd to trust itself again In the
hands Of the Democratic party1
lmpotSnt i~ntsfsrsnes In Mexico.