Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-05-05
WE MUST MAKE GOOD

| THE prestige, the reputation and the
future of this nation have been thrown
into the battle caldron. We could have
| answered or not answered, as we pleased
the Macedonian cry from Europe. We
| chose, God helping u.s. to answer. 1t Is
the tradition of Europe, aye, the tradition
of the civilized world, that in America is
might: that the genius Of our institutions
is the genius of success; that American
grit. American novelty and American
methods can invariably translate failure
into success; that the aid of this nation
not only brings to ary cause enormous
moral prestige. but that it brings to it
also material might and power IRE.
sistible
Magnificent as has been the resistance
of France and glorious her sacrifice;
however inspiring has been the gathering
by England of her strength and her free
Offering Of blood and treasure on the
affairs of democracy, the fact remains
that it is from us they both expect the
feel as men who have had vast load
lifted from their shoulders, but they do
feel as If, having borne the burden and
the> heat Of the day, there is at last
Good Samaritan at hand, from whose
succoring hands they will draw fresh
life. renewed energy and the magic
spirit of triumph.
good They have not been able to devise
method of conquering the submarine;
we must devise such a method. They
have not been able to build ships fast
enough to balance their sea losses; we
must build those ships They have not
been able to secure adequate food sup.
pies; we must produce those supplies.
Their iron and steel are insufficient for
their needs; we must provide both in ade-
quate quantities, They need railroad
equipment of all sorts and expert rail-
road men to manage the roads; we must
answer that call. They will eventually
need men on the western front We must
send the men. They need surgeons,
nurses, hospital supplies; all we must
give.
TIE tax on our genius for Industrial
organization is already tremendous. 10
shout of shirking has been heard. The
railroads are voluntarily under virtual
that industry may be comma ndeered.
Let there be no protest. 1t is an indus.
trial challenge that Germany has issued
to the world, an armed proclamation of
her superiority in manufacture, yoked to
an imperialstic. autocratic propaganda,
and the knife sticks in the heart of I'M
perial Germany when the superiority of
the United States in the industrialism
Of war as well as in the industra'ism
of peace is definitely and unequivocally
established. The power of the United
States to solve the difficulties of trans
port, to build guns and ships, to concen.
trate and coordinate her might so that
the full vigor of 1t is brought into play
is not only the secret of military success
but it is the demonstration needed to end
forever any dreams of conquest by me
chanics which Central Europe may en-.
tertain.
The maximum from our shipbuilders.
captains and privates; the maximum
from our machine-harvested lands; the
maximum from our steel plants the
maximum from our railroads; the maxi.
mum from every industry that fiourishes
in the nation-that is the goal toward
which Washington strives, and it is call
in. to the assistance of the Government
the brains and genius of the nation.
Germany's war is an industrial war
in an Industrial age waged to perpetuate
medievalism in government We fight
| for modernism and back 1t with an in
| dustrial development which we purpose
| to show can match and more than match
| that of our foes. For democracy at last,
we may thank God, is about to spring
full-armed into the conflict, mighty in
the achievements which liberty has
wrought. ready to meet any peril because
that liberty has iourished, even in
vented, the arts which autocracy '-s
borrowed wherewith to subjugate the
world and will develop them now SO that
their full fruits will be gathered for the
enlightening and not the darkening OF
the world.
We must make good!