Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1916-08-03
HUGHES SPEECH
OF ACCEPTANCE

Senator Harding, members of tn
notification committee and fellow ell
1zens-This occasion is more than
mere ceremony of notification. w
are not here TO indulge in formal ex
pressions. We come to state in
plain and direct manner our faith. on
purpose and our pledge. This repre-
sentative gathering is APPARENT,
augury. 1t means the strength of re
union 1t means that the party o
Lincoln is restored. alert, effective. Il
means the unity of a common perccp
zion of paramount national deeds II
means that we are neither deceived
nor benumbed by abnormal condi
tons. We know that we are in a
critical period perhaps more critical
than any period snco the Civil war
We need a dominant sense of national
unity, the exercise Of oar best con.
structive powers, the vigor and re
sourcefulness of a qnickened Ameri.
ca. We desire that the Republican
party, as great liberal party, shall
be the agency OF national achieve
ment the organ of the effective ex
preston of dominant Americanism
What do mean bv that? | mean
America conscious Of power, awake
to obligation, erect in self respect,
prepared for every emergency, de
voted to the ideals Of peace, instinct
with the spirit Of human brotherhood
safeguarding both individual oppor
tunity and the public interest, main
tanning a well ordered constitutional
system adapted 10 local self govern
ment without the sacrifices of essen
tial national authority approaching
the necessity of stability, expert
knowledge and thorough organizati ion
as the indispensable condition Of the
country's progress, country loved by
its citizens with a patriotic fervor per.
hitting no division of their allegiance
and no rivals in their Affection
mean America first and America et'
hcient. 1t is in this spirit that | re
spond to your summons"
Confused Chapter of BIunders.
III ulSCuSSluB lOIelEH TtldllOHS anu
appointments, Mr. Hughes declared
that the executive had not command
ed the respect of the world by his
conduct of the state department. Com
petent diplomats, notably Ambassador
Herrick of France have been retired
for no other reason than to meet par
tisan demands.
THE dealings Of the administra
ton" Mr. Hughes declared, "consti-
tute confused chapter of blunders
We have not helped Mexico She lies |
PROSTATE, Impoverished. famine strick- I
en-, overwhelmed with the woes and 7
Of internecine strife. the /
helpless victim of n condition of an. {
lrchy which the course of the admin \
stration only served 10 promote For {
ourselves, we have witnessed the \
murder of our citizens and drain of [
heir property. We have made enc S
MES not friends Instead of com {
handing respect and deserving good Il
Will by sincerity, iirmness and consist Il
'ncy, we provoked misrepresentation d
he conduct of the administration no n
me could understand its professions. t,
n decrying interference, we inter e
cred most exasperatingly. We have il
lot even kept out of actual conflict, e
md the soil of Mexico is stained with D
he blood of our soldiers. We have d
escorted to physical invasion only to n
etire without gaining the protested N
'bject. 1t is a record which cannot
'e examined without a profound sense Il
# humiliation" N
Reviewing the interference with s,
Iuerta, Mr. Hughes characterized it n
IS "a vacillating and ineffective inter c
ention" and as the height of folly
$50 far as the character of Huerta NJ
5 concerned, the hollowness of the "
on this score is revealed Il
y the Administrations subsequent in
atronage of Villa (whose Qualifica- m
ions as an assassin are indisputablel in
Thom apparently the administration ri
'as ready to recognize him had he
chieved his end and fulfilled what
hen seemed to be its hope
The question was not as TO the non =,
of IIuerta The United y,
tates did not content itself with re- VI VI
Ising to recognize Huerta. who was -,
by Great Britain, Ger -
ANY, France, Russia Spain and la -
an. The administration undertook TO =
estroy Huerta, to control Mexican -
olitics. even to deny Huerta the =.
ght to be candidate for the once =.
president at the election the admin a.
tration demanded. With what be ~,
ilderment must the Mexieans have ~,
'garded our assertion of their right -
manage their own affairs"
After describing the seizure of Vera -
ruz. Mr.. Hughes says: ~
We are now informed that we did -.
Vt go to Vera Cruz TO force Huerta
salute the flag We are told that we ~ ~
emit there to show Mexico that we ~
ere in earnest in our demands that 10
uerta must 60 That is. we seized -