Evening star., 1925-04-21

love of country. Best of all. you have
practlced what you preach.
Ihat your society is highly
esteemed, not only at home. but
abroad, is evidenced by the presence
mere OF the representative of a great
sister republic. 1t is eminently fit
ting that the French Ambassador
should appear as he does tonight on
the same platform with the Presi-
dent of the United States, for France
has ever been our friend in time of
peace and our brother in arms in
tlrne OF war when the cause of
human liberty was at stake.
Ten times in the House of Repre-
sentatives, at the beginning of each
congress, | have sworn to uphold
and defend the Constitution of the
United States against all enemies,
foreign and domestic. As | faced the
American flag, on each side within
my line OF vision were two portraits
and two only. On the left, Gen,
Washington, and on the right, Gen.
Lafayette. When 1 take that oath
again next December conditions will
oe such that L shall be facing
IN another direction, but / shall by
no means be unconscious of that in
spring environment which has made
the public assumption of that obliga-
ton among the thrilling moments
of my life.
Sees No Danger.
THAT oath, as l have said. contem-
plates resistance against enemies
both foreign and domestic AS l sur
vey the situation throughout the
world today, l can see little danger to
be apprehended from enemies with
out. If such enmity exists, it is GER
tainly not apparent and, moreover.
Notwithstanding the tremendous cuts
that have been made recently in the
cost or Government, the Army and
Navy are being maintained at ade-
quate strength and at high efficiency
America will never again risk the
catastrophe, no matter how improb-
able, of being forced into war when in
a state of complete unpreparedness
for it,
'The enemy we have to fear and to
guard against daily is the individual
who is attempting to sow the seed of
discomfort throughout the country. to
array class against class and who
breaches distrust of our governmental
institutions. Fortunately, such an in
dividual is rarely native American,
and as rule not even an American
citizen. With no stake in the coun-
try. no pride in our institutions, he
seeks to tear down the structure of
government In order that in the
crash and ruin to come he may bene-
fit from the misfortunes of others.
Our Government has endured from
the beginning practically unchanged
in sunshine and in storm. 1t may
not be the ideal form of government
for every nation in the world, but
1t is and has proved itself to be the
best for America. The just balance
between the three great branches,
the executive, the legislative and the
judicial, makes for a stability which
applies to no other nation. To de-
stroy that balance will be to destroy
that stability. Hence indiscriminate
attacks upon the courts, upon Con-
gress, upon the Executive as such,
are TO be deplored.
Speaking as a member of the
legislative branch, I admit, of course,
that we are far from perfect, but
after an experience of more than 20
years 1 am prepared to assert that
we are just about as good as Con.
gress ever was, and that is the equiv
alent of asserting that in ability, ef-
fectiveness in action and in individual
purity of motive day in and day out,
the Congress Of the United States is
not excelled by any legislative body
in the world