The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-07-27
ROBERTS SPEECH
Continued from Page Two
tunes OF any man.

tunes Of any man.
Because Of unprecedented condi-
tons have hesitated to carry my
views before the people in the form
of speeches delivered over the state,
as has ben the immemorial custom
of candidates for the office of gov
ernor. It has been my hope and OBJ
iect that nothing should be said or
done by me as a candidate that
would tend to bring forward again
acrimonious debate and the renewal
of differences among us that have
been so hurtful to our development
in the recent past, and especially
have / hesitated to take any action
that would tend to distract the peo-
pie from. their supreme duty to the
nation at this hour. / hope, there
fore, that nothing said by me today
will be construed by any one as hav-
ing been spoken in a spirit of cap
tious criticism Nothing, indeed, has
been further from my aim or pur-
pose during the courteous hearing
that you have accorded me this after
noon.
Serve The Nation.
After all, the great question to be
solved in the next year, or two years,
or it may be five years, is whether in
situations Of the character which we
now have are to survive at all. Until
that decision is made nothing else
matters. The first duty of every
Tennessean at this time, of high or
low degree, is to remember that no
one is exempt from the call of his
country, and that it is his supreme
duty to serve the nation to the ut
most Of his ability. Day after day
we see the young manhood of this
state withdrawn from the ordinary
walks of life, gathered into military
camps of the nation, and, after .
training which, for its briefness and
thoroughness, stands without a par
allel in the military annals of any
nation, transported beyond the seas
for service in France. Family ties
are being severed and the most pre-
cious relations in life are parted at
the imperative call of our native land
You and | have already given those
that are nearest and dearest to us to
the needs of the country, and they
have gone forth with a high resolve
and dauntless courage that guarantee
that the achievements of the Ameri
can army in the allied lines in France
will some day constitute the most
Glorious chapter in the history of the
liberty loving people of the western
hemisphere.
Our Duties Defined.
For those of us who remain, the
duty is no less exacting, no less i'm
oeratiye. Not only must our own
people be fed during these stern
times, but it is also our part in thi!
struggle to fee dour embattled allies
in Europe. We are their only source
Of supply, and should we fail them
they will sink down in defeat. 1t is
50 in all lines of industry. In the
shop, in the mill, in the mine, on the
railroads and ocean steamers the or
ganization and achievement of yes
terday are all inadequate, all insult
fcient. They must be doubled anG
tripled in their intensity and in then
efficiency. The wealth that America
had but yesterday for luxury and for
pleasure is now to be used for the
defense of her liberty and the future
freedom of her people.
Our awakening, my countrymen
has been slow. But we are now
awake. and we will achieve all that
our friends are hoping from US, and
all that our enemies are dreading
We shall not minimize the sacrifice
we are called upon to make, both in
life and in material things. But great
as it may be, it will have its com
pensation. It will call forth energies
Of character that we do not now
even dream we possess. Above all
things, it will generate among us that
patriotic love and keen sense of ma
tional honor that will in the end draw
our hundreds of millions of people
closer together and make of us new
nation that will surely be exalted
among the peoples of the earth. And
when, by the grace of God, victory
at last abides with us, we shall know
that through this suffering and sac
rifce, peace, liberty and justice have
been vouchsafed to mankind through
out the coming centuries.
ADVERTISEMENT