New-York tribune., 1916-01-28

and follow the same ideals of liberty
MAY venture here parenthesisg Have
any Of you thought Of this? We have
slowly. very slowly, indeed, begun to
win the confidence of the other states
Of the American hemisphere II we
should go into Mexico, do you know
what would happen? All the sym,
pathies of the rest of America would
look across the water, and not north
ward, TO the great Republic which we
profess to represent.
And do you not see the conse-
Quences that would ensue In every
international relationship? Have the
gentlemen who have rushed down to
Washington TO insist that we should
90 into Mexico reflected upon the pol
itics Of the world? Nobody seriously
supposes that the United States needs
10 fear an invasion Of its own terri
tory. What America has TO fear. II she
has anything to fear. are indirect
roundabout flank movements upon her
regnant position in the Western Hem
isphere. Are we going 10 open those
gates. or are we going to close them
For they are the gates TO the hearts
Of our American friends TO the south
Of US. and not gates TO the ports.
Win their spirits and you have won
the only sort Of leadership and the
only sort Of safety that America covets.
Standard Bearer of Liberty.
1--WE must all of US think, from this
time out. in terms Of the world, and
must learn what il is that America has
, set out 10 maintain as standard
bearer for all those who love liberty
and Justice and the righteousness OF
rolitical action. But we must hnd
means to do this thing which are suit
able 10 the time and suitable to our
own ideals. Suitable TO the time: Does
ANYBODY understand the time? Perhaps
when you learned, as | daresay you did
learn beforehand, that ! was expecting
TO address YOU on the subject Of pre-
paredness. you recalled the address
which ! made to Congress something
more than a year ago. in which | said
that this question of military prepared
ness was not a pressing question.
But more than year has gone by
since then, and ! would be ashamed
il ! had not learned something in four
teen months The minute ! stop chang
ing my mind as President with the
change of all the circumstances IN
the world. l will be back number.
Has Changed His Mind.
There is another thing about which
I have changed my mind. A year ago
| was not in favor Of tariff board,
and will tell you why; because then
the only purpose Of tariff board was
to keep alive an improbable contro-
versy. ~ YOU set UP any board Of in
ouiry whose purpose 1t is to keep busi-
ness disturbed and 10 make II always
an open question what you are going
to do about the public policy Of the
government, an opposed to II. And
the very men who were dining it
into our ears that what business want
ed was 10 be let alone were, many
| Of them. men who were insisting that
we should start up controversy that
meant that we could not let it alone,
/ There is a great deal more opinion
vocal in this world than is consistent
with logic.
"But the circumstances Of the pres
ent time are these: There is going on
/ in the world, under our eyes, an eco
nomic revolution. No man understands
2 that revolution; no man has the ele-
ments Of it clearly in his mind; no part
of the business Of legislation with re-
gard TO international trade can be un-
dertaken until we do understand II.
And members of Congress are too busy,