The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-12

ourselves, but that we want to CO.
operate with all other classes and all
other groups in a common enterprise,
which is to release the spirit of the
world from bondage. 1 would be
willing to set that up as the final
test of an American. That is the
meaning of democracy.
L have been very much distressed,
my fellow citizens, by some of rhe
things that have happened recently.
The mob spirit is displaying itself
here and there in this country. 1
have. 10 sympathy with what some
pathy with the men that take their
punishment into their hands, and
want to say to every man who does
join such a mob that 1 don't recog-
nize him as worthy of the free insti-
tutiOns of the United States.
There are some organizations in this
country whose object is anarchy and
the destruction of law. but i would
not meet their efforts by making my
self a partner in destroying law. l
despise and hate their purposes as
much as any man, but 1 respect the
ancient processes of justice and L
would be too proud not to see them
done justice, however wrong thea are
And so I want to utter my earnest
protest against any manifestation of
the spirit of lawlessness anywhere or
in any cause. Why. gentlemen, look
what it means. We claim to be the
greatest democratic people in the
world ind democracy means first of
all that we can govern ourselves. II
our men have not self control then
they are not capable of that great
thing which we call democratic gov
eminent "A man who takes the law
into his own hands is not the right
man to cooperate in any form of or
development of government and in
stitution. And some of the processes
by which the struggle between capt.
tai and labor is carried on are pro-
cesSes that come very near taking
the law into yo-r own hands 1 don
mean for moment to compare them
with what 1 have just been speaking
Of b..t I want Won to see that they
are mere gradations of the manifesto
tons of the unwillingness to cooper
ate and the fundamental lesson of the
whole situation is that we must not
only take common counsel, but that
we must yield to and obey common
counsel.
Not all of the instrumentalitieS for
this are at hand. 1 am hopeful that
in the very near future new instru-
mentalities may be organized by which
we can see to it that various things
that are now going on shall not go on.
There are various processes of the di-
luton of labor and the unnecessary
substitution of labor and bidding in
different markets and unfairly upset
ting the WnOle competition OF ldDOr,
which ought not to go on mean
now on the part of employers-and we
must interject into this some instr l.
mentality of cooperation by which
the facilitating will be done all
around. 1 am hopeful that some such
Observation-Disclosures may be devised, bu:
whether they are or not, we must use
those that We have and upon every oc-
casion where it is necessary to have
such an instrumeI.rality originated
upon that occasion, if necessary.
And so. my fellow citizens, the rea-
son that 1 came away from Washing
ton is that 1 sometimes get lonely
down there-there are so many people
in Washington who know things that
are not so; and there are so few peo-
pie in Washington who know anything
about what the people of the United
States are thinking about I have to
come away to get reminded of the
rest of the country; 1 have to come
away and talk to men who are up
against the real thing. and say to them
Il am with you if you are with me-"
and the only test of being with me is
not to think about me personally at
all. but merely to think of me as the
expression for the time being of the
power and dignity and hope of the
American DeODle