The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-06-13

of confidence or contributing OF their
own affairs if they do not know what
taxes they are to pay and what econo-
mics and adjustments Of their bust
ness they must effect? I cannot as
sure the country Of a successful adj
ministration of the treasury in 1913
If the question of further taxation is
to be left undecided until 1919.
''The consideration that dominates
every other now, and makes every
other seem trivial, and negligible, is
the winning of the war. We are not
only in the midst of the war, we are
at the very peak and crisis Of it.
Hundreds of thousands of our men,
carrying our hearts with them and our
fortunes, are in the field and ships are
crowding faster and faster to the
ports of France and England with
regiment after regiment, thousand af
ter 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 contrary,
be pushed with greater and greater
energy.
eff that is to be accomplished, gen
tlemen, 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 more
plans upon paper, unless there is to
be an unQuestionable supply of money.
THAT is the situation, and it is the
situation which creates the duty, not
choice of preference of ours. There
is only one way to meet that duty.
We must meet it without selfishness
or fear of consequences. Politics is
adjourned. The elections will go to
those who think least of it; to those
who go to the constituencies, without
explanation or excuses, with a plain
record of duty faithfully and disinter-
estedly performed.
81, for one, am always confident
that 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 pitiless light beats upon every
man and every action in this tragic
plot Of war that is now upon the stage.
eff lobbyists hurry to Washington
to attempt to turn what you do In the
matter of taxation to their protection
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 prOfiteering that
cannot 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
disputable.
81 am advising you to act upon this
matter of taxation now, gentlemen,
not because I do not know that you
can see and interpret the facts and
the duty they impose just as well and
with as clear a perception of the OBJ
legations involved as l can, but be-
cause there is a certain solemn salts
faction in showing with you the re-
SpOnSibilities of such time.
1.-The world never stood in such
case before Men never before had
so clear or so moving a vision of duty.
know that you will begrudge the
! work to be done here by US no more
than the men begrudge US theirs who
lie in the trenches and rally forth to
their death. There is a stimulating
cOmradeship knitting US all together.
And this task to which I invite your
immediate consideration will be per-
formed under favorable influences if
we will look to what the country is
thinking and expecting and care not
at all for what is being said and be-
lieved in the Hobbies of Washington
hotels, where the atmosphere seems
to make it possible to believe what is
believed nowhere else.
Won NOT fQlf tho cniTff nf the
Nation rise and its thought become a
single and common thought since
these eventful days came in which
we have been sending our boys to the
other side? ] think you must read
that thought, as I 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 and
willing to bear any burden and under
go any sacrifice that it may be neces-
sary 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 Ghey who must
pay for it, and if the burden is justly
distributed and the sacrifice made a
common sacrifice from which none es-
capes who can bear it at ali, they will
carry it cheerfully and with a sort of
solemn 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 is coming
| true
"The great days have come when
| the only thing that they ask for or ad-
mire is duty, greatly and adequately
done, when their only wish for Amer
| lea is that she may share freedom
she enjoys; when a great, compelling
! sympathy wells up in their hearts for
men everywhere who suffer and are
| oppressed and when they see at last
| the high uses for which their wealth
| has been piled up and their mighty
power accumulated and, counting nei-
| Their blood nor treasure now that the
final day of opportunity has come,
rejoice to spend and to be spent
| through a long night of suffering and
| terror in order that they and man
| everywhere may see the dawn OF a
day of righteousness and Justice and
peace. Shall we grow weary when
! they bid US act?"
| kerensI<y Was Not on Ship.