The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-06-09

commerce, | was thinking OF some
immigrants l had come to 4lnow on
the voyage, VINO came to America TO
seek the fortunes the conditions in
their homes would refuse them. That
great statue, as we neared it, held up
to me a picture / knew, that came so
gratefully to my minds eye; to them
it was eloquent or all they dreamed,
hoped and expected. 1 wondered |
whose pleasure was greater, theirs or |
mine. What a welcome, what an in |
vItation in that word Liberty! 1eL |
also wondered then and afterwards If |
we might not be in danger of COM |
hitting our sins in her name. Won
dered if we had not too much stressed
that word since the proclamation to
the world of our independence
We Of the English race and tradl-
tions have so insisted on our char
tered liberties that under their
/ license we have suffered some of our
more powerful citizens to acquire the
| liberty of crushing out that of the
weaker. And the former, siezing
where they would under the protec-
ton of that magic word, have man
aged to get such strangle hold on
the less aggressive and less -@lhsh
and less fortunate citizens that only
an instructed public conscience can
tear loose. We had allowed ourselves
to become so engrOssed IN the work
of growing and doing big and bigger
things in the free use of liberty, that
we failed to see that the forces we
unbridled had become a menace, al
most masters of our very selves. l
say we had allowed, for we have
, been awakening recently and gropIng
towards remedies. We have been
cropping; but with the necessities OF
! the war upon US, we are now making
strides; for We are facing tacts, un-
, palatable some of them are, but to be
+ recognized and undone-facts we are
nov seeing for the first time as dan
gers to our future, but which till now
, we have looked upon as growing out
of the attributes OF personal liberty
! Our great federal government Is
- losing its hus!ness-like impersonalty
y and remembering that it has human
as well as property Tespons. bIltes
-, II is Inc education of the kind Oul
g public schools are imparting that IN
9 sDfred the message Of the .seCretar!
e of war, some two weeks ago TO Ih'
" governors of the states, reminding
them or Lfle lIESCa JS1DLC 1CHh'SAA1l
:, bilitv for the young soldiers called Il
e the colors, and announcing that ever.
n DrecautiOn will be taken for tn
% moral as we'll as the physical wei
T. being of our young defenders. Ina
n was a glorious message, defining IN
= governments new idea OF liberty
r the liberty to I've decen. mora, ave
-e as soldiers under the safeguards tina
( our government for the first time ha
IS seen fit to place around them.
Be In our good-natured optimism W
O. have forgotten that We must leave o
4: TIE swaddling clothes Of a yer
n. youthful nation and don those OF tn
to full grown power, with the assocli
S tons and responsibilities that matu
vs. ltv must bring. You must nave
on very different outlook on life trol
an that of your fathers and mother
es MANY problems will confront you Tn;
they have not known, and these WI
" demand more education, more pr
in pareduess, for YOU to cope with tnel
as You will find many things that, W.
- -,,,>,aI ignorance we have condoned
nj For the beginning of your refo,.n
of l think you will need to look So u
ed great Interpreter of thought for Il
ur inspiration of our experiment in go
lift eminent, You have learned that Il
W seeds of repubHcanism came to
IN from France, and a deeper study w
k show you that nearly all generOl
ILL., movements since the world emerge
If from the Dark Ages have come fro
to that source. Sut she, after startir
to US on our way, went through a pun
ticatiOn of fire and blood, and
X great sufferings had her principl
,e- Of popular government A<0re deep
'st burned into her, more profoundly
~ effect her programme of reform. H
a problems, as her abusa-ridden Peep
m, seized the reins of power, were tho
re that we are meeting today for Il
st, first time, when opportunities ha'
RI been preempted. They are what Ru
to STA is confronting in shaping her ne
I'll career, that Russia with whom son
ry are unjustly inclined to be imp;
ur tlent. France had had enough soci
1t; experience to know that liberty al
of theoretical equality are in themselv
eS not the only guarantees needed f
nd the citizen of a free, self-governiI
I'll republic; so she added the third ca
1T dinal social principle to complete Il
to trinity of justice under a republic;
is democracy Today on every publ
Is building in France you will see e
ut graved in that simplicity and severi
so in which it was conceived the sta
laI creed. Not only is there the hber
p- and equality. that in the past ha,
ur lulled our consciences and ideas
re justice into an indifference of the ia
tic of our fellows, put we find that 9TH
principles that ennoble these al
'e- brings justice from them. That cree
90 Is the complete statement of Il
ed ideals of a democratic state: Libert
or Equality, Fraternity-a brotherhot
ue of citizenship, N which each is
en- have what he or SHEDS entitled to f
do tho F,lTos+ Jo,,olo,,,seor4 e -