The Jasper weekly courier., 1918-07-05

DItdlH.
So anxious were they to arouse pub
lie prejudice against him, they made
themselves ridiculous by some things
they said With great solemnity they
all declared in effect that we are not
in this war to determine the form Of
government any other nation shall
have, seeking by implication, to leave
the impression that when the Presi-
dent said we wanted to see the world
made safe for democracy, he was pro-
posing to have a voice in determining
the form of government other nations
should have. But they forgot that
the people remember the President
said In his great war message of
April 2, 1917, In most elegant style,
what he has restated more than once,
that we were going to war "for the
rights of nations great and small, and
the privilege of men everywhere to
choose their way of life and of obe-
dience." Before these gentlemen as
sault the President again in public
speech, they ought to commit to mem
ory what he has said on this and kim
dred subjects.
Ny friend, the Governor, took occa-
sion to say in his convention speech,
by way of criticism of the President
for wanting to see the world made
free for democracy, that:
1--WE are not a democracy. No
democracy has been engaged on
either side of this war, except for
the brief period when Russia
gave us the object lesson of a
pure democracy at war. Not be-
ing a democracy ourselves the
average American may wonder
why we should sacrifice our lives
and our property to impose upon
other people form of govern
ment that we have not yet
adopted, or even expressed will
ingness to adopt"
When l read this statement from
our Chief Executive, | confess | was
surprised. | remembered something
| he had said on a former occasion SO
unlike this; but it did not at first
occur to me that a change had come
over him, out of desire to be against
| the President.
| found on investigation, that on
March %, 1918, he made speech be-
| fore the Hoosier troops at Camp
Zachary Taylor, and that he then
talked like true American. To'those
boys he said:
eve are indeed fighting for de-
mocracy, and it is for that great
democracy which was born in the
days of the revolution, democ-
| racy that when but an infant, en-
dured untold hardship, and arose
to full manhood in that great
| struggle, and was re-baptised
| with fire in the days of the Civil
War. = When you have
won this war, as you will, there
| can be no fear about the future
| of democracy, wherever and
| whenever it's seeds find fertile
soil in which to grow"
| When the Governor talks as ar
American, and not as a politlciar
;eeking to break down a political op-
)onent, on the subject of democracy,
he out Wilson's Wilson. AS he stood
before those soldier boys he had Wis
on in which he saw the seeds of de-
nocracy-of our democracy here
grown to full manhood-planted In
he back door yards of Berlin, and the
Kaiser fairly smothered. by the rank
less of the growth of the plant.
What of Watson.
What Of my friend Jim Watson? lr
lis convention speech he was willing
go to any length to arouse the peo'
lie against the Wilson administration
me reference will characterize the
hole speech. He says he doesn't like
ie sectionalism of this administra
ion. "In the name of patriotism" h'
avs. "the wealth of the country II
)eing redistributed" He points ou
low il is being taken from the Nortl
and given to the South, and with ;
most scathing tongue, he wallops tn
administration for putting so man.
| ,antonments in the South. The JUNO
Senator really grows bitter on thi
subject. but fortunately we have som
sane, big and patriotic Republicans II
this country, who do not endorse tn
: views of our Junior Senator Ex
President William Howard Taft j
such man. He visited, last winter
every cantonment in the South, an,
ION MdTCn 10, 1910, uc utliNtltd a. iet
: ture on his observations, which j
published in the March number o
/ The National Geographic Magazine
and | want TO place an excerpt fror
that lecture against our Junior Sena
: tors position.
Mr.. Taft says:
81 think il would have been
. wiser if all the camps in the
Northern States had been placed
in Southern States. Even TO a
layman visiting camps, the
: greater opportunity for drill was
apparent in the marching of the
men. A review of $4,000 men,
which / was permitted to see at
! Camp Travis, in San Antonio,
showed a degree of drill that
could not have been equalled, l
!. think, i'm any other camp. There
witnessed, too, bayonet drill,
: bayonet charges over trenches, a
sham battle over trenches, with
: hand grenades, and everything
= but barrage of artillery. The
u difference in progress between
that command and those in the
: far North, could not escape the
Observer
: Where % you think the good pee
2 pie will stand on this question. whe
!, they go to the ballot box? Don't yo