Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-07-14
Democracy's Struggle
for Existence

By Henry Clews, Phi. D.. L. I. D.

BY Henry Clews, Phi. D., L. L. D.
1t is always an enviable honor to be
called upon to address gathering of
people assembled to celebrate~Indepen.
denee Day, but consider it very high
compliment to be chosen to speak in be-
half of the Society of The Cincinnati.
know of no body more worthy to
take a leading part in the affairs of this
country than the society formed short
ly after the close Of the War Of the
Revolution by the officers of the Con-
tinental Army and of our allies, the
French. In forming the society it was
declared that, "To perpetuate, there
fore, as well the remembrance of this
vast event as the mutual friedships
which have been formed under the pres
sure of common danger, and, in many
instances, cemented by the blood of the
parties, the officers of the American
army do hereby, in the most solemn
manner, associate, constitute and COM
bine themselves into one society of
friends, to endure as long as they shall
endure, or any of their eldest male. pos
terity, and in failure thereof the collat-
eral branches who may be judged wor-
thy of becoming its supporters and
members. "
George Washington was its first pres
ident and he has been succeeded by a
long line OF honorable successors. While
the Society is originally one,-for con-
yenience it is subdivided into State
Societies, and in this old colonial State
of Rhode Island, this Colonial State
House is most fitting place to hold a
meeting in behalf of patriotism.
Nearly five centuries before the dawn
of the Christian era, old Cincinnatus
left his plow to become the ruler of
Rome In the. near future thousands
of our young men will go from the field
where the harvests are gathered to the
fields of battle, where, we hope, the
harvest of death will be light, and that
they may soon return as Cincinnatus
did to the peaceful but no less worthy
task of tilling the soil and thus adding
to the material. wealth of our country
A Momentous Year
The year 1917 ras been momentous
year for our great country, and the
greatest events have been, first, our en-
trance in the arena of war; second, the
fIotation of the Liberty Loan of up
wards of two billion dollars; third, the
raising of one hundred millions and oy-
er for the Red Cross.
We did not declare war merely be-
cause we wanted to fight. The time had
come when it would have been bastard
1y on our part to refuse to fight. We
had ben smitten on the right cheek and
on the left cheek. We had suffered in
suit and humiliation in our desire to
remain neutral Finally the day arriv-
cd when the last straw made our load
too heavy to bear, so we cast our lot
with the Allies in the struggle for dem
Oeraey against arrogant Prussian auto
EIaey.
We have no desire to profit by the
war. We have no wish or intention to
seize or be granted additional territory
when the settlement day arrives All
that we want, and, indeed, all that we
are fighting for, is the preservation of
the rights of our fellow men. We have
no personal antipathy toward Ger
man because he is a German. We have
the highest regard for German scholars,
musicians, composers, scientists and me-
ehanies. In fact, they will profit by
our victory over the autocratic rule Of
the few over the many. 1t is not the
German people whom we consider our
foes. but their autoeratie rulers and
their satellites. 4
The Call Still Stirs
Every day We hear the roll ofthe
drum and the call of the bugle, and
they stir our hearts as they stirred the
hearts of our ancestors in 1776 and in
1861. Washington and his forces found
ed the Union; Lincoln and his forces
saved the Union. The theme in both
these eras was really the same,-Life,
Liberty, Justice. These represent the
heritage so dear to the people of our