Evening star., 1922-06-25
MARSHALL Finds British King
Revered as Symbol of Empire

men Of exalted rank. but with men
unknown.
.rI 4 4 4 +
This is the British view as I In.
terpret 1t: That though there are
many errors in government. in
equalities In life, injustices In
business. these are not the fault Of
the British empire. nor do they
how from its constitution.
The fight for larger liberty and
more equal justice goes on from
year to year, but no minority
thinks Of overlapping the system
because OF wrongs and injustices
complained of. Everywhere may
be heard complaint touching this
or that man or this and that pol.
ICY. bat rarely IL heard complaint
about the empire. 4
crowd did not observe that there
was any particular love or venera-
tiou for the king az an individual.
but that there was unbounded love
ana unlimited veneration for him
as the symbol Of the empire. The
attitude impressed me as being
wholly impefsonal. There seemed 10
might die, yet aside from the pray
ers in the churches, there was no
importuning heaven for his sur
vival. 1t became my impression
that 1t made no particular differ
ence whether his name was Ed
ward or George, that he was just
the visible symbol OF that entity
known ~ the empire.
As CLEANED the attitude OF
mind. the king occupies the rela-
tion to the British people that. in
my Judgment, Uncle Sam. or per-
hAps the President Of the United
States, ought to occupy to the
American people. am myself
profoundly devoted to the Ameri-
can government. Neither by word.
thought or deed would 1 relinquish
a single grain Of the heritage that
IL miAe. But I would that we
could love and laud and magnify
Uncle Sam. and that we might con-
slider the President as only SYM
boiic Of our government
Alas, more and more as the years
go by, we insist that our-President
Is our government. Our tendency
has been to exalt h.nn upon IA
pedestal In every market place.
We have thought that good and
evil, sunshine and rain. famine and
plenty, peace and war. prosperity
and adversity. all we're In the hol-
low of his hand, and that he could
pour either blessings or curses
upon our heads. All the Presi-
dents I have known have been
good men and true. faithful and
devoted to the best interests Of the
republic. but they were not gods.
however much the people bowling
down and worshiping them SEEM
ed to think.
It would not be so bad II the
people would only continue to wor-
ship, but always after a time ii Is
discovered that our idols have legs
of clay, whereupon we crack their
legs. We say. in sffec!: -.
with this fellow. Such a govern
ment as he is we do not want We
will have another king to rule over
US"
I am hoping the present Presi-
dent Of the United States is to be
saved from the fate of many of his
predecessors. did not vote for
him. yet he Is my President. I do
not look upon him as the govern
mont of the United States. To me
he is the symbol of the govern
ment, just as Uncle Sam is the
symbol of that invisible Deity Of
constitutional freedom which from
the beginning has brooded over
the republic.
What did I get out of Empire
day? Nothing that drew me to-
=, ward the British empire; nothing
that convinced me that America
was not yet the land best loved by
the Lord; nothing that could in
duce me to lessen my allegiance
to the American Constitution:
nothing that made me long to be
belted earl Of the British empire.
But 1 gained a conviction.
We have a sacred day-the Fourth
of July. There should be less Of
fishing and golfng and going to
base ball on that day. 1t should
be consecrated to the republic. On
that day there should be instilled
In the minds Of the young people
Of America a love and renerstion
for the President of the United
States, as the symbol of a govern
ment. so stable that none may
doubt that 1t contains within it
self the power and desire to rectify
all wrongs.
fcopyrteht. 1922, By Thomas R, Marshall,