New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-31

kers company, looking out upon new
tyranny and another assault upon human
liberty have solemnly written their Judg-
merit that the cause Of the Allies is the
cause Of America and the cause OF Ger
many is the cause of tyranny.
Does the voice Of Lexington still carry
in America? Does the example Of the
men who gave us liberty still shine for US,
or have we gone over entirely to the
mouthings Of men like Willard and Vie
leck. to the programmes Of the Paclhsts
and the Prussians? There were men IN
America in April, 1875, who preferred
tyranny to liberty and gave aid and COM
fort to the enemy But they did not pre-
vail. There were men who preferred sub
mission to resistance, chains to freedom,
but they did not have their way.
Shall we not presently perceive the
truth; shall we not in due course OF time
put aside the gnoble doctrine that 1t IS
better TO be physically safe than morally
right, that it is possible to compromise
when right and wrong are in battle, to
be neutral when liberty and tyranny are
contending for victory?
The voices of leaders such as we had
in 1775 are not heard to-day. In high
places and in low, all over the nation, the
men of vision have been lacking and those
from whom we should have had light
have given us only darkness. We have
had to grope after the truth when we de-
served to have the truth set forth to US by
those whose duty it was to lead and whose
glory it should have been to enlighten.
But leaders have failed the other peo-
pies of the world in the present crisis,
and yet the people have not failed them
selves. The English and the French have
had unguided to cut through the fog and
the night; even the great dumb, enslaved
Russian people have staggered to the day
light. Wherever there has been democ-
racy there has been a realization of what
Germanism means in this world for de-
mocracy and the people and there the mill
ions have marched to battle. The Rus
slams have broken their chains to serve the
cause of liberty and defeat the armies of
tyranny. Shall we people of the United
States fail where the Russian people have
triumphed?
But now we are coming to one more
anniversary of Lexington; we shall see
another Nineteenth of April in few more
DAYS, and the memory of that GLORIOUS
morning" should be with us. All that we
have, all that we are as a nation and
people. we owe to those farmers who went
down to the Green before the Meeting
House and faced British regulars and fired
and fell. They did not compromise, they
did not take refuge in pacifsm, they did
not seek to remain prosperous at the sac
rifce of honor They knew that there
was no ultimate escape from tyranny
save by battle. They were few and poor.
They had neither a hope of victory nor
prospect of escape. They had only love
of liberty and a clear perception that that
which they loved was imperilled.
We shall live or die as a nation pre-
ciselv as we remain faithful to the spirit
of Lexington and Concord or betray the
cause that was there served. At Liege
the Belgian people continued the tradition
Of lexington along the Morava the Ser
bian democracy maintained the ideal that
was defended at Concord Bridge. Ger
manism is the gospel of tyranny; Germany
has become the protagonist of slavery and
Of darkness in our time The issue is
again between liberty and tyranny
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