New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-07-01

Of the rank and file Of the people OF
| the United States.
81 get a great mary letters, my fell
low citizens, from important and iniiu-
entail men in this country, but ] get
/ great many other letters. get letters
| from unknown men, from humble wom-
en-, from people whose names have
/ never been heard and will never be re-
/ corded, and there is but one prayer
+ in all of these letters: Mr.. President,
do not allow anybody to persuade you
that the people Of this country want
war with anybody
Engineers View.
81 got off a train yesterday, and as
| was bidding goodby to the engineer
lie said in an undertone. 'Mr. Presi-
dent, keep US out Of Mexico; and IL
one man has said that TO me a thou
sand have said it to me as have moved
about the country. If / have oppor-
tunity TO engage them further in con-
versation they say, of course, we know
that you cannot govern the circum-
stances Of the case altogether. and 1t
may be necessary, but for Gods sake
do not do it unless 1t is necessary /
am for the time being the spokesman
of such people, gentlemen. ! have not
read history without observing that the
greatest forces in the world and the
only permanent forces are the moral
forces. We have the evidence OF a
very competent witness, namely the
First Napoleon, who said that as ne
looked back in the last days OF his life
upon so much as he knew OF human
history he had to record the judgment
that force had never accomplished any
thing that was permanent
Force will not accomplish anything
that is permanent, ! venture 20 say, in
/ the great struggle which is now going
| on on the other side of the sea. The
permanent things will be accomplished
afterward, when the opinion of man
kind is brought 10 bear upon the issues.
and the only thing that will hold the
world steady is this same silent, insls-
tent. all-powerful opinion Of mankind
Force can sometimes hold things
steady unti opinion has time 10 form,
but no force that was ever exerted eX-
cept in response to that opinion was
ever conquering and predominant
force. ! think the sentence in Ameri-
can history that | myself am proudest
Of is that in the Introductory SEN
fences of the Declaration OF lndepend-
ence where the writers say that due
respect for the opinion of mankind de-
mands that they state the reasons for
what they are about to do. ! venture
to say that decent respect for the
opinion Of mankind demanded that
those who started the present European
war should have stated their reasons
but they did not pay any heed to the
opinion Of mankind, and the reckoning
will come when the settlement comes.
Indifference to Election.
$50. gentlemen, | am willing, no mat
ter what my personal fortune may be
TO play for the verdict Of mankind
Personally, it will be q matter Of in.
difference TO me what the verdict on
the seventh of November is, provided
feel any degree of confidence that hen
a later jury sits, | shall get Their
judgment in my favor. Not in my
favor personally-what difference does
that make but in my favor as an
honest and conscientious spokesman OF
great nation.
"There are some gentlemen who are
under the delusion that the power OF
a nation comes from the top. II does
not 1t comes from the bottom. The
power and virtue of the tree does not
come from the blossom and the fruit
down into the roots, but it comes from
the roots in the obscure passages OF
the earth, where the power is derived
which displays itself in TIE blossom
and the fruit; and know that among
the silent, speeches. masses OF the
American people Is slowly coming up
the great sap Of moral purpose and
love of justice and reverence for hu-
manity which constitutes the only vir-
tue and distinction Of the American
people.
Must Pursue Americas Ideal.
"Look for your rulers of the future!
Can you pick out the families that are
going TO produce them? Can you pick
out the localities that are going 10
produ e them? You have heard what
has just been said about Abraham Lin
coin. II is singular how touching
every reference to Abraham Lincoln is
II always makes you feel that you
wish you had been there to help him
in some fashion to fight the battles
that he was fighting sometimes almost
alone.
Could you have predicted. II you had
seen Abraham Lincoln's birth and boy
hood. whore that great ruling figure OF
the world was going to spring from
have presided over a university. but
never deceived myself supposing that
by university processes you were pro-
ducing the ruling forces of the world
81 know that all that university
could do If il knew its business was TO
interpret the moral forces of the world
and let the young men who sat under
its influence know the very truth OF
truths about where il came from, and
that no man could produce il unless
he felt in his blood every corpuscle
spring into delighted life with the men
ton of the ideals which have lifted
men slowly. oh how slowly, up the ar
duous grades that have resisted prog.
ress since the world began.
$50, gentlemen, have not come here
tonight 10 do anything but to remind
you that you do not constitute the
United States; that ! do not constitute
the United States; that il is something
bigger and greater and finer than any
of US; that il was born in an ideal, and
only by pursuing an ideal in the face OF
every adverse circumstance will ii con.
tinue 10 deserve the beloved name
which We love aad for which we are
ready 70 die, ths name, America
Mayor Addresses President.
i Mayor Mitchell, after . short intro