The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-07

" pu"'C sense, IN easiest way
people. 4 ~self-centred, selfish and
complaining people.
So long as a nation sits back ami
allows the few To rule. because the
many are too indolent. SO long as Il
places commercial! prosperity above
national honor. that people lacks r
patriotism. Lacks vision. Lacks fu-
ture.
For nations. like men. do not live by
bread alone.
II IL said that We are badly repre-
sented in our Legislatures. In a way.
this IL the coun,ry's defence. But Il
is not true. We are most accurately
represented. when a bad man. an inef-
ficient man. a dangerous man. goes IN
Congress or the Senate. II IL because
the majority Of the people have al
lowed him to he sent there. He may
not represent you or me. But ne rep
resents composite indifference. He rep
resents the slcthful. We annot plead
ignorance in these days Of the omnipo-
tent press. He goes by default. as 1.
were. We can. and must plead sioth.
While CULVER was asleep he was
bound.
The truth is that American ideals
are on trial to-day and that the Jury
Of the word is against them.
These are stirring times. History Ia
making. On European battlefields mil
lions Of men are under arms. are suf-
fering and dying for this love Of coun.
try n zeal for It's welfare. Is |. not
time for the American people to stop
and take stock. not only Of its army
and navy. q: It's guns and ammunition.
but o: i,s national spirit
II necessity comes. we will Hght. We
will not rise en- masse. I've sure Of that.
But a certain number. and those the
best Of us. will enlist. We RI ther like
night. although q national tendency
is to balance principle against exp.-
diency. We defed Spain. YOU remem-
her. most courageously. and We have
never taken any nonsense when II
came 20 the Barbary States, or Nene-
Gus!a or San'o Domingo. Let tho
Island ~ Guam insurrect. and watch
the eagle scream
Hat We are not involved in u war
now, and in the meantime. what? Are
". 10 continue SNUG and swollen with
prosp rity. 60 are We to capitalize our
~disCnntsnt" VII the American people
81 Icy In is presen, apathy, 81 will y
arse and demand changed conditions,
better things" win it stand by ;he
where it will force the issue to MAKE
the party. n not the party the Is
sue?
Patriots or sluggards-which? a
living Americanism or a dead: II
Is a matter Of a free people.
whose legislators express the public
past, slaves Of a pern.cious Incidence
aid a pern.cious activity, a people
that has spent. Of its own money,
$3.50. 0O0. 900 in ten years for defence
and has little or rothing to show for
it. a people that has not vet demanded
an accounting OF that expenditure: \
people that took six days TO send a
handful OF men over the Mexican bor-
der in pursuit Of 1t bandit who had
murdered American citizens. A people
a certain par, Of whose population IN
the middle West votes against pre-
paredness because its location makes
1t immune from invasion; a people
whose Congress md Senate to-day are
spending time ver q memorial to
William Mckinley. to be erected In
the State Of Ohio, and quarrellins owe
the smokestacks Of tho Treasury
Building in Washington. while It's real
legislation Is being done In committee
rooms behind closed doors and Ger
many by triumphant accidsnt-desIgn
sinks more American citizens abroad.
We are peculiarly governed. We
put all our eggs In one basket. Once
every four years the American eagle
screams and the dinner pail waves. and
We elect a new President. Then We
sit back and wait. We have done our
part, One man in every four or six
or ten has cast his vote.
We have elected a President; for
four years that President Ia our Gear.
What he does We must abide by. There
is no Presidential recall. He II the
head of the army and the head OF the
navy, He Is everything but the head
Of the church. To assist him he Ia
given a Cabinet. Is II political heresy
to state that the President of the
United States is the Cabinet? Is II
not true, after all? When a member
OF the Cabinet differs vitality with the
President there is bu one course open
Ia him. He resigns, and the President
selects some one whose policies agree
with his.
The result 10 a one-man government.