The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1917-04-26
CONGRESSMAN WALTON WILL
STAND BY THE PRESIDENT


Hon. w. b. Walton, of New Mexico,
in the House of Representatives, on
Thursday, April 8, 1917:
Mr.. Speaker, have made up my
mind to vote for this resolution and to
vote against any amendment to it that
may he proposed. This decision is the
result of calm deiberation on a sub
ject realize is of momentous impor-
tance to every man, woman, and child
in the United States. In taking this
step not only have the approval of
my own conscience but it is my firm
conviction that | am acting with the
full approval of vast majority Of the
people of the country and especially
of the constituency which ] have the
honor to represent in this House.
1t is idle for US to talk about "mak-
ing" war. War is now being made up
on US by the Imperial German Govern
ment. The blood of hundreds of Amer
ican citizens murdered in the pursuit
of their peaceful vocations bears elo-
quent testimony to the cruelty and
savagery o~that warfare. What are
we to do about it? Are we to delude
ourselves with the fatuous pretense
that we have not been attacked-deny
the existence of an obvious fact-be-
come the object of the just ridicule
and contempt of the civilized world l?
Or shall we strike back like men :?
Strike back not for vengeance and pun
ishment but to vindicate the rights of
American citizens and of humanity.
] confess my inability to follow the
reasoning of those who maintain that
we go into this war hastily or with
out just provocation. The patience of
the man who knows his quarrel Iust
has been ours. We have recognized
| that, to use the words of our great
President, the world has been "on lire"
and that the frenzy and rage of the
greatest struggle the world has ever
known have left little chance for rea
son to exercise its sway. We have
borne much, have suffered much IN
recognition of this. but always with
the hope that SOME day calm human
ity would again assert itself and that
u pathway Or. of the jungle of inter
national outiawry would be opened.
Now, Mr.. Speaker, it has become
all too obvious that we have hoped in
vain; that the state of the world is to
become worse, not better; and that if
we are to emerge from the world of
chaos with any rights left TO us as a
Nation and free people we must
fight for them. We wanted peace. We
have waited for it We have almost
begged for it As long as there was
the slightest hope that peace could be
had without black dishonor we have
refused to fight. But now that that
ray of hope has been eXtinguished we
shall go into the fight like men and
come out of it as we have come out OF
every fight in our national history
victors in the glorious cause of human
liberty.
am not lacking in appreciation of
the horrors of war. ! know that as a
people we are this day going down
into the valley of the shadow of death
| know that we will sacrifice some of
the finest flower of the young man.
hood of the country, that home will be
made desolate, that widows will mourn
and the prattle of childish laughter
will he hushed. But, as has been truly
said on the floor of this House. only
the craven will stop to contemplate
the horrors of war when the fact that
war is right and necessary has been
made plain. Nothing worth achiev-
ing has ever been gained without sac
rifice. Our dearest and most cher
ished rights and liberties have been
won at the cost of blood and tears,
but we have not stopped to count the
cost or weigh blood and tears against
that which was dearer to US than life
Speaking for my own constituency
] say without hesitancy that the peo-
pie of New Mexico do not want war;
but know that ! speak with entire
accuracy when | declare that they dc
not have to be urged to fight for u
principle or lay down their lives in
defence of the national honor. And
the volume of letters and telegrams
that have received from representa-
tive citizens of my State in the last
few days leaves no doubt in my mind
that the sentiment of the people OF
New Mexico is well-nigh unanimous
that not to fight now would be shame
full.
Approximately, one-half the popula-
tion of my State is of Spanish-Amer-
lean origin or descent. There is nc
race of people on earth that is by in.
stinct more peaceful and tranquil. the
members Of which are more anxiou,
to dwell in harmony and fraternity
with their fellows and devote theil
entire energies to the developments
and upbuildings of their Common.
wealth. At the same time there is nc
braver, more patriotic, or more loya
class of citizens between the two
oceans. In their veins flows the DiuoG
Of historical Spanish conquistadores
II was their ancestors who subduet
the savage and made our vast western
country habitable for civilized man
1t was their fathers who, joining with
the Anglo-Saxon pioneers of an ear.
~ L