The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-08-17

| racy, which has challenged civiliza.
uon and arrayed the enlightened world
against Its iron-handed policy of rule
or ruin. Men Of all creeds, of all
races and of all political parties have
rallied around the flag. determined to
ngnt on to victorious conclusion
IN this hour when all our energies
are bent on victory, when there is a
| prayer on the lips of every true Am.
erican for our heroic boys across the
sea, may we not we'll gain further
inspiration. here in Indiana, for our
| task by turning in memory to the
wonderful deeds of the heroic Morton
and his gallant boys in blue.
Sons Of Old Heroes
Are We not flesh of their flesh, are
not our brave sons today the sons
and grandsohs in the blood and in the
spirit Of Indiana's sons who rallied
around the flag in 1861. Just as DIV.
er P. Morton was the first and greatest
man IN civil life to come to the aid
OF the national government when
Fort Sumpter was fired upon and war
had actually commenced, just so was
he the first to see before war became
grim reality, that war was a nee
essity and was the only way-by which
the Union could be preserved
For just as there were months and
months OF debating and doubling be-
fore America decided to enforce its
rights by declaring war against the
imperial German government, just so
nearly sixty years ago there was de-
batting and doubling before the Amer
lean government decided to use force
to compel the seeding states to re-
turn to the Union
Many we'll meaning but misguided
statesmen urged compromise, and a
calm discussion of the issues involved
and the country stood undecided upon
what course ought to be pursued. More
than one man who thought he was
patriotic, declared that the Southern
states had no right to secede, but that
we might we'll hesitate before decid-
ing that the constitution must be pre-
served at the cost of civil war.
Speech Aroused Nation.
1t was here that Morton rendered a
great and almost forgotten service to
the country. With clear vision, he
saw straight through to the heart of
the controversy. In his great speech
at Indianapolis, he showed with con-
vincing logic that as the president
had sworn to support and preserve
the constitution of the United States,
it was his plain duty to restrict Sc
cession and he destruction of the con-
stitution he had sworn to preserve
by every means at his command.
Seven years is but a day in the
land I would rather come out of
struggle at that time, defeated in arms
and conceding independence to a sue
cessful revolution, than to purchase
present peace by the concession of
principle that must inevitably explode
this nation into small and dishonored
fragments"
That was the true American spirit,
my countrymen. and it is the spirit
which permeates this land of ours to-
day. Better by far defeat on the neid
of battle in defense Of our rights and
the cause of liberty than to comprom-
Use our honor and our rights and be-
tray the cause of freedom by listening
to the voice of the internationalist
and the pacifist
A nation fighting for its freedom
may be defeated on the field Of battle
and rise again from the ashes of Its
defeat, but the nation that basely sur
renders it's rights and its ideals for
any material gain or for lack of cour-
age can never rise again, but must in
evitably pass under the yoke of more
virile and patriotic people.
The effect of Morton's speech arous-
ed the whole nation. 1t was the
speech demanded by the great emer-
gency 1t is related that when Lin
coin read the speech he said: ut COW
ers the whole ground and declares the
necessary policy of the government.
War Was Inevitable.
l have no patience with those who
at this time have time to speculate
upon whether or not war might have
been avoided had we followed some
other policy. l believe that from the
hour the German government violated
its solemn treaty by overrunn1ng lit
tie Belgium, our entrance into this
was was inevitable. By that act the
German government served notice on
the world that it desired to cut itself
free fom international law and sail
its pirate ship over the world to raw
age and to conquer, in order that
modern Caesar might set up new
Roman Empire on an even mightier
scale.
The sinking o: the Lusitania and
the unrestricted submarine warfare,
although the immediate cause Of our
entrance into the war, were but minor
incidents in the great drama and in
dicated the moral bankruptcy of the
Prussian mind. The question is not
whether we could have in any way
kept out of the war, but the immedi-
ate, the imperative question is that
now being in the war, are we going