Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-18

that forest. He worked his way
through the Fort Wayne Meth
odist College, taught school, and
became superintendent of schools
here in Elwood. My mother was
also a school teacher. Whenever
they had time, they both studied
law and eventually both took up
the practice of law. I doubt if
any two people ever appreciated
or loved this country more than
they.
As you who lived here with
them we'll know, they were fierce
ly democratic. They hated OPP
preston, autocracy or arbitrary
control Of any kind. They be-
lieved In the qualities that have
made America great-an indie
pendent spirit, an inquiring mind,
a courageous heart. AT school
they taught those virtues to many
Of you who are here today. At
home they taught them to their
children. 1t is tribute to their
teaching that when the United
States entered the World War in
1917. three of their four boys were
= volunteers, in the uniform of the
American forces, within one
month after war was declared.
They withheld no sacrifices for
the preservation of the America
of 1917. In an even more dam
gerous world, We must not with
hold any sacrifice necessary for
the preservation Of the America
of 1910.
Not Isolated From People
Suffering Across the Sea.
Today we meet in a typical
American town. The quiet streets,
the pleasant fields that lie out
side, the people going casually
about their business, seem far re-
moved from the shattered cities.
the Quilted buildings and the
stricken people of Europe. 1t is
hard for us to realize that the
war in Europe can affect our
daily lives. Instinctively we
turn aside from the recurring
conflicts over there. the diplo-
matte intrigue, the shifts of
power that the last war failed to
end.
Yet instinctively also we
know that we are not isolated
from those suffering people. We
live in the same world as they,
and we are created in the same
image. In all the democracies
that have recently fallen, the
people were living the same
peaceful lives that we live. They
had similar ideals of human free
dom. Their methods of .trade
and exchange were similar to
ours. Try as we will, we cannot
brush the pitiless picture of their
destruction from our vision, or
escape the profound effects of it
upon the world in which we live.
No man is so wise as to fore
see what the future holds or to
lay out plan for it. No man
can guarantee to maintain peace.
Peace is not something that a
nation can achieve by itself. 1t
also depends on what some other
country does. 1t Is neither prac-
tical, not desirable, to adopt a for
eign program committing the
United States to future action
under known circumstances.
The best that we can do is to
decide what principle shall guide
us.
Would Do Everything
To Defend American Democracy.
For me, that principle can be
simply defined:
In the foreign policy of the
United States. as in its domestic
policy. I would do everything to
defend American democracy and
would refrain from doing any
thing that would injure it.
We must not permit our emo
tions-our sympathies or hatreds
to move us from that fixed
principle.
For instance, we must not shirk
the necessity Of preparing our
sons to take care of themselves
in case the defense of America
leads to war. I shall not under
take to analyze the legislation on
this subject that is now before
Congress, or to examine the in
tentions of the administration
with regard to it. I concur with
many members of my party, that
these intentions must be closely
watched. Nevertheless, in spite
of these considerations, I can
not ask the American people to
put their faith in me without re-
cording my conviction that some
form Of selective service Is the
only democratic way in which
to secure the trained and COM
petent man power we need for
national defense.
Also, in the light of my prin-
ciple, we must honestly face our
relationship with Great Britain.
We must admit that the loss of
the British Fleet would greatly.
weaken our defense. This is be-;