Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-10-26

express itself in terms of usefulness
and service to other people"
The average capitalization in Rotary
clubs exceeds $4,000 a man, he said,
in pointing out the tremendous force
that Rotary has behind il.
First Obligation.
This club" he said little later on
owes the Chamber of Commerce OF
Tulsa every whit OF endorsement and
service il can render. The Chamber
of Commerce OF Tulsa is the one
agency for the unified commercial up
building of the city with any prospect
OF success. If ever any one OF you
Is brot face to face with the choice
betWcen the Chamber OF Commerce
and the Rotary club he owes it to Ro-
tary to resign from membership in
this club in order to continue MEM
ber OF the Chamber of Commerce"
Then, with "a clever flow OF words,
he turned the subject to the question
OF slackers in official life.
II ventured a moment ago" he said,
"a word OF regret concerning the habit
of Oklahoma's official representatives.
As a young boy reporter. l covered
the post office department in Wash
ington, thru the period of the discov-
cry, trial and punishment of the post
office thieves. To say that l did what
could to help in the apprehension
and prosecution of these men is to say
only the truth. Yet | looked off and
saw in that moment of passion not
less than five men, good as | am,
eager and patriotic as | am, carried
under by n great tidal wave of sus-
picion, accusation, trial and forget
fulness. One of them, old enough to-
be my grandfather, found 1t difficult
to obtain even trial. When an ac-
quittal had been entered upon the
books, he could not prevail upon the
man, who was then president of the
United States, to give - a new ana
clean character before his fellowmen.
| resolved at that time that under like
condition l would lift my voice for
the man who is the subject - genera
condemnation. | raise II now in be-
half of your senators. l would that
everyone of us could be Rotarians in
reserving our judgment of him. But
while | say that, | hasten to add that
l do not deny whit Of my conviction
that he does not represent truly In his
pref. attitude the attitude of his
fellow citizens OF Oklahoma and
surely he does not represent the atti-
tude of his fellow citizens outside of
Oklahoma. This is the era of free
speech. Ah yes, the era also of free
conscience, of free selfrespect, of
free reason, of free perspective and OF
free proportion. What man will in
dulge the vanity of an opinion which
disagrees with that of the whole body
Of his fellows at q time when that
vanity gives aid and comfort to his
country's enemies? And when i con-
template it all, / wish that it were
possible for you to do for him what
we in Chicago have proven ourselves
unable to do for a miserable excuse
OF a mayor and what the people of
our neighborhood state of Wisconsin
have proven themselves even less able
to do for a still more miserable ex-
cuse of a United States senator"
He explained in detail the task
Rotary has undertaken in the raising
Of funds with which to protect the
morals of our soldiers.
First Pledge i'm Tulsa.
I'm Tulsa" he said, was entered
the first pledge, l think, from any
Rotary club, Of financial aid for this
great movement that stands without
parallel in history. And you said
that if the other clubs in this district
should not raise their quota. the Ro-
tarians Of Tulsa would undertake to
meet that deficit. | do not know of
anything that has happened in years
that has given me such confidence In
the inherent validity of Rotary as the
realization that out of the middle