The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1920-07-22


with the covenant of conscience, than
Re sbackled by written compact
which surrenders our freedom of ac-
ton and gives to military alliance
| tile right to proclaim Americas duty
to the world. No surrender of rights
10 world council or its military al
| lance, no assumed mandatory how
ever appealing, ever shall summon the
sons of this republic to war. Their
supreme sacrifice shall only be asked
| for America and it's call of honor.
There Is sanctity in that right we
will not delegate.
Leaving America Independent.
! Disposed as We are, the way is very
simple. Let the failure attending as
sumption, Obstinacy, impracticability
and delay be recognized and let US
find the big, practical, unselfsh way
to do our part, neither covetous be-
cause of ambition nor hestant through
fear, but ready to serve ourselves, hui
mainly and God. With senate ad-
vsing as the constitution contemplates,
would hopefully approach the nations
| of Europe and Of the earth. proposing
that understanding which makes us
willing participant in the consecra-
| ton Of nations to a new relationship,
| to commit the moral forces of the
world, America included, to peace and
international justice, still leaving Am
| erica free, independent and self-reiant,
| but offering friendship to all the world.
1t is folly to close our eyes to out
standing facts. Humanity is FESTIVE,
| much of the world Is in revolution,
| the agents Of discord and destruction
have wrought their tragedy in pathetic
Russia, have lighted their torches
among other peoples, and hope to see
| America as part Of the great Red
! confiagration. Ours Is the temple OF
| liberty under the law, and it is ours to
Tense. America must not only save
herself, but ours must be the appealing
voice to sober the world.
1t must be understood that toll alone
makes for accomplishment and adj
vancement, and righteous possession is
the reward of toll, and its incentive.
There is no progress except in the
| stimulus of competition.
The chief trouble today Is that the
| world war wrought the destruction of
healthful competition, left our store
houses empty and there Is a minimum
production when our need is max
imum. Maximums, not minimums is
the call Of America. 1t isn't new
story, because war never fails to leave
depleted stOrehouses and always inn
pairs the efficiency of production War
also establishes its higher standards
for wages, and they abide. / wish the
higher wage to abide, on one explicit
condtion-that the wage-earner will
give full return for the wage received.
Production, More Production.
l want. somehow, to appeal to the
sons and daughters of the republic,
to every producer, to join hand and
brain in production, more production,
honest production, patriotic produc-
ton, because patriotic production is
no less q defense Of our best civilian
ton than that Of armed force. Prof.
teering Is crime of commission, I'M
production is crime of omission,
We must work our most and best, else
the destructive reaction will come.
The menaciIE tendency of the pres
ent day is not chargeabe wholly to
the unsettled and fevercd conditions
caused by the war. The manifest
weakness in popular government lies
in the ternptation~to appeal to grouped
citizenship for political advantage.
1t would be the blindness of folly 10
ignore the activities in our own coun-
try which are aimed to destroy orr
economic system, and to commit Us to
the colossal tragedy which has de-
stroyed all freedom and made Russia
impotent. This movement is not 20 be
halted in throttled liberties. We must
not abridge the freedom of speech, the
freedom of press, or the freedom Of
assembly, because there is no r-ollise
In repression. These liberties are rs
sacred as the freedom of religious be-
lief as inviolable as the rights OF life
ana the pursuit of happiness. We 90
nOlu u tlle IlSut " Niuoh S|N''i"'i, "
stitle a menacing contempt for law,
to stamp out a peril to the safety It
the republic or it's people, when eme"-
gency calls, because security and the
majesty of the law are the first es-
sentials of liberty. He who threatens
destruction of the government by f'rte
or fiaunts his contempt for lawful
authority, ceases to be loyal citizen
and forfeits his rights to the freedom
of the republic.
No party is Indifferent to the welfare
of the wage-earner. To us his goo'
fortune is of deepest concern. ard
seek to make that good fortune pc
manent. We do not oppose but
prove collective bargaining, bees
thot Is an outstanding right, but wa
are unalterably insistent that its exer-
else must not destroy the equally sa-
cred right OF the individual, in his nee
essary pursuit of livelihood. Any
American has the right to quit his en-
ployment, so has every American the
right to seek employment. The group
must not endanger the individual, and
we must discourage groups preying
upon one another, and none shall be
allowed to forget that the governments
obligations are alike to all the people.