Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-07-27
Theory of Our Constitution.

The theory of our constitution is that
the largest possible executive power Is to
be lodged in the president in time of war,
because it was realized by the constltu-
ton makers that some man must be re-
sponsibie for the. job, and that this man
could be only the president. So. while
mistakes may be made during. this war
and honest criticism may be evoked which
is Justifiable. it must be remembered that
a democracy does not live in anticipation
of war. that the programs which a democ-
a C makes are programs of peace. If
the United States had been surveyed In
1860 to find a man who, in temperament.
would be most adapted to carry on a great
civil war, the probability is that no com
1nittee OF award would ever have united
was a philosopher primarily, as was
President Madison. who conducted the
war of 1sl2--a man whose mind had the
right slant, but who did not represent the
military spirit or those qualities of blood
and iron which marked Bismarck;
We must now look to the qualities Of
dent in the present war, and the first of
those qualities is an unflinching courage.
! have watched him for four years with
him hesitate a second to do a thing that
he believed to be right because either of
political influence or of any effect it
TIMES. In the last campaign he was more
Indifferent personally as to the outcome
than any other man in the government.
He takes time to consider. Sometimes ne
i~mpetuous. but, once he has reached a
conclusion, that conclusion becomes a part
Of his nature. He is infleXible. Those who
are our allies and those who are opposed
to us should by this time realize that the
commandments of the United States
without hesitation, without compromise,
without fear. He has in his nature no
consciousness whatever Of what it is to
fear man, which in itself - not a bad char
acteristic of a soldier.
k.ou. Ah>.> IL n. N
And he has a direct objective. He
knows where he is going. It takes time
VI is the right objective, but when he
lows that line. and he follows it through.
His first try out was on the federal
reserve act; Al said this was impossible;
elements to support him. AS to courage,
take the challenge that was given over the
McLAemore resolution. He believes now
Sary, and he will get it.
His guide Ia his conscience, and the
Dne word that most nearly summarizes
word. duty Tell him what his duty is,
and he does IT. But he won't take any
direction as to what his duty is from any
IT must strike a response in his own con-
science: How strong a hold he has upon
himself. how much he is master of his
during the period Of our neutrality, in two
years and a half of cabinet meetings and
Df personal conversations, 1 never heard
him utter a word that was contrary to
his own plea for neutrality made to the
people at the beginning Of the war. This
i Iss,ns like fra an impossible mo aan1a thing Iagr. but il is
without bias: he could express the reac-
tons of the American people under given
with relation to the facts presented: but.
20 matter what was underneath, he held
strictly to the rule which he asked others
was subjected to the most serious critic
ism from some who said that he was pro-
German and others who said tina he was
~pro-E1nglish. This shows how completely
be is master of himself.