The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-05-27

very peak and crisis Of 1t. Hundreds
Of thousands of our men,. carrying
our hearts with them and our for
tunes, are in the field and ships are
croWding faster and faster to the
ports OF France and England with
regiment after regiment thousand
after thousand, to join them until the
enemy shall be- beaten and brought
to a reckoning with mankind. There
can be no pause or intermission. The
great enterprise must, on the con-
trarys be pushed with greater and
greater energy. The volume Of our
might must steadily and rapidly be
augmented until there can be no
question of resisting it. If that is to
De accomplished, gentlemen, money
must sustain it to the utmost. Our
financial program must no more be
left in doubt or suffered to lag than
our ordnance program or our ship
program or our munitions program
or our program for making millions
OF men ready. These others are not
programs, indeed, but mere plans
upon paper, unless there is to be an
unquestionable supply OF money.
"Politics 10 Adjourned"
That is the situation. and it is
the situation which creates the duty,
no choice or preference of ours.
There is only one way to meet that
duty. We must meet it without sell
flshness or fear of consequences.
Politics is adjourned. The elections
will go to those who think least Of
1t. To those who go to the constitu-
encies without explanation or excu-
ses, with a plain record Of duty faith
fully and disinterestedly performed.
| oil ~
the people Of this country will give
a just verdict upon the service of the
men who act for them when the
facts are such that no man can dis
guise or conceal them. There is no
danger Of deceit now. An intense and
pttiless light beats upon every man
and every action in this tragic plot
Of war that is now upon the stage.
If lobbyists hurry to Washington to
to- turn what you do in the
matter Of taxation to their protec-
ton or advantage, the light will beat
also upon them. There is abundant
fuel for the light in the records OF
the treasury with regard to profits of
every sort. The profteering that can
not be got at by the restraints of
conscience and love of country can
be got at by taxation. There is such
profiteering now and the information
with regard to it is available and in
Il am advising you to act upon
this matter of taxation now, gentle
men, not because l do not know that
you can see and interpret the facts
and the duty they impose just as
we'll and with as clear a perception
Of the obligations involved as l can,
but because there is a certain SOL
emn satisfaction in sharing with you
the responsibilities Of such a time.
The world never stood in such case
before. Men never before had so
clear or so moving q, vision of duty.
l know that you will begTudge the
work to be done here by us no more
than the men begrudge us theirs
who lie in the trenches and sally
forth to their death. There is a ,stim-
ulating comradeship knitting us all
together. And this task to which l
invite your immediate consideration
will be performed under favorable
influences if we will look to what the
country is thinking and expecting
and care nothing at all for what is
being said and believed in the lob
bies Of Washington hotels, where the
atmosphere seems to make it pos
sible to believe what is believed no
where else.
Nation Is United.
Have you not felt the spirit Of
the nation rise and its thought be-
come a single and common thought
since these eventful days came in
which we have been sending our
boys to the other side? l think you
must read that thought, as l do, to
mean this, that the people of this
country are not only united in the
resolute purpose to win this war, but
are ready to, and willing to, bear
any burden and undergo any sac
riflce that it may be necessary for
them to bear in order to win it. We
need not be afraid to tax them, if we
lay taxes Justly. They know that
the war must be paid for, and that
it is they who must pay for it and
If the burden is justly distributed
and the sacrifice made common
sacrifice from which none escapes
who can bear it at all. they will car
ry 1t cheerfully and with a sort Of
pride. I have always been
proud to be an American, and was
never more proud than now. when
all that we have said and all that
we have foreseen about our people
have come when the only thing that
they ask for or admire Is duty,
greatly and adequately done; when
their wish for America is that she
may share freedom she enjoys;
when a great compelling sympathy
wells up in their hearts for men
who suffer and are op-
pressed and when they see at last
the high uses for which their wealth
has been piled up and their mighty
power accumulated and, counting
neither blood nor treasure now that
the final day of opportunity has
come, rejoice to spend and to be
spent through a long night Of suf-
fering and terror in order that they
and men everywhere may see the
dawn of a day Of righteousness and
justice and peace Shall ~" grow
weary when they bid US act?''