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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 1925)
Coolidge Urges Demobilization Of Race Hatreds Advocates Universal Atti tude of Toleration to Avoid Another War r _ Omaha, Neb., Oct. 6. (Special)— President Coolidge, addressing the national convention of the American Legion here today, asserted that the results of the World war will be loot and the nations of the earth will pre pare for another conflict unless racial antagonisms are demobilized and a universal attitude of toleration cre ated. Avoiding direct reference to any ■specific situation, the president ex pressed the opinion that military power should be subordinated to and governed by civil authority. The full text of his address follows: Mr,. Commander and Members of the American Legion: It is a high privilege to sit as a member of this convention. Those who exercise it have been raised to the rank of true nobility. It is a mark of personal merit which did not come by right of birth but by right of conquest. No one can ever question your title as patriots- No one can ever doubt the place of affection and honor which you hold forevermore in the heart of the na tion. Your right to be here results from what you dared and what you did and the sacrifices which you made for our common country. It is all a glorious story of American enterprise and American valor. The magnitude of the service which you rendered to your country and to humanity is beyond estimation. Sharp outlines here and there we know, but the whole account of the World war would be on a scale so Stupendous that It could never be recorded. In the victory which was finally gained by you and your for eign comrades, you represented on the battle field the united efforts of -our whole people. You were there as the result of a great resurgence of tile old American spirit, which manifested itself in a thousand ways —by the pouring out of vast sums of money In credits and charities, by the organization and quickening of every hand in our extended indus tries, by the expansion of agricul ture until it met the demands of famishing continents, by the manu facture of an unending stream of mu nitions and supplies, by the creation of vast fleets or war and transport '•hips, and, finally, when the tide of battle was turning against our as sociates, by bringing into action a .great armed force on sSa. and land of a character that the world had never seen before, which, when it finally took its place in the line, never ceased to advance, carrying the cause of liberty to a 'triumphant conclu sion. You reaffirmed the position of this nation in (,he estimation of man kind. You saved civilization from a gigantic reverse. Nobody says now that Americans can not fight. Our people were influenced by many motives to undertake to carry on this gigantic conflict, but we ■went in and came out singularly free from thoso questionable causes and results vvhicn have often character ized other wars. ,We were not moved by the age-old antagonisms or racial ambitions of any reigning dynasty. We were not Inspired by trade «.nd commercial rivalries. We har bored no imperialistic designs- We coveted no territory. But the time came when we were compelled to 4cfend our own property and protect the rights and lives of our own citi aens. We belioved, moreover, that those institutions which we cherish with a supreme affection, and which lie at the foundation of our whole seneme of human relationship, the right of freedom, of equality, of self government, were all In jeopardy. We thought the question was involved of whether the people of the earth were to rule or whether they were to be ruled. We thought that we were helping to determine whether the principle of despotism or the princi ple of liberty should be the prevailing standard among ihe nations. Then, too, our country all came under the Influence of a great wave of idealism. The crusading spirit was aroused. The cause of civilization, the cause of humanity, made a compelling ap peal. No doubt there were other motives, but these appear to me the chief causes which drew America into the World war. In a conflict which engaged all the major nations of the earth and lasted for a period exceeding four years, there could be no expectation of material gains. War In Its very essence moans destruction. Never be fore were contending peoples so well equipped with every kind of Infernal engine calculated to spread desola tion on land and over the face of the deep. Our country Is only but now righting Itself and beginning a mod erate but steady recovery from the great economic loss which It sus tained. That tremendous debt must be liquidated through the laborious toll of cur people. Modern warfare becomes more and more to m;an ut ter loss, destination, and desolation of the best that there is of any peo ple, its valiant youth and Its ac cumulated treasure. If our country secured any benefit, if It met with any gain. It must have been In moral and spiritual values. It must be not because It made Its fortune but be cause It found Its soul. Others may disagree with me, but In spite o# some Incidental and trifling difficul ties It Is my firm opinion that Amer ica has come out of the war with a slt^iger determination to live by the rule of righteousness and pursue the course of truth and Justiav Sn Retiring Commander James A. Drain, of Washington, D. C., national commander of the American Legion, will retire from office at the annuai legion conven tion at Omaha this week. Mrs. Drain accompanied President Coolidge and party, to Omaha today. both our domestic and foreign rela tions. No one can deny that we have protected the,, rights of our citizens, laid a firmer foundation for our in stitutions of liberty, and made our contribution to the cause of civiza tion and humanity. In doing all this we found that, though of many dif ferent nationalities, our people had a spiritual bond. They were all Amer icans. When we look over the rest of the world, in spite of all devastation there is encouragement to believe it is on a firmer moral foundation than it was in 1914. Much of the old despotism has been swept away. While some of it comes creeping back disguised under new names, no one can doubt that the general ad mission of the right of the people to self-government has made tremen dous progress in nearly every quar ter of the globe- In spite of the stag gering losses and the grievous bur den of taxation, there is a new note of hope for the Individual to be more secure in his rights, which is unmistakably clearer than ever be fore. With all the troubles that beset the Old World, the former cloud of fear is evidently not now so appall ing. It is impossible to believe that any nation now feels that it could betler itself by war, and it is ap parent to me that there has been a very distinct advance in the policy of peaceful and honorable adjust ment of international differences. War has become less probable; peace has become more secure. The price which has b?en paid to bring about this new condition is utterly beyond comprehension. We can not see why It should rxot have come in orderly and peaceful methods without the Ettendant shock of fire and sword and carnage. We only know that It Is here. We believe that on the ruins of the old order a better civilization is being constructed. We had our domestic problems which resulted from the war. The chief of these was the care and re lief of the afflicted veterans and their dependents. This was a tremendous task, on which about $3,000,000,000 his already been expended. No doubt there have been cases where the un woi thy have secured aid, while the Worthy have gone unrelieved. Some mistake were Inevitable, but our people and our government have at ull times been especially solicitous to discharge most faithfully this prime obligation. What is now being done Is related to you in detail by General Hines, of the Veterans’ Bu reau, a public official of demonstrated merit, so that I shall not dwell upon It. During the last year, under the distinguished and efficient leader ship of Commander Drain, the Be gion Itself has undertaken to provide an endowment fund of $5,000,000 to minister to the charitable require ments of their comrades. The re sponse to this appeal has been most generous and the results appear most promising. The government can do much, but It can never supply the personal relationship that comes from the ministrations of a private charity of that kind. The next most pressing problem was the better ordering of the fin ances of the nation. Our government was costing almost more than It was worth. It had more people on the pay roll than were necessary, all of which made expenses too much and taxes too high. This inflated condi tion contributed to the depression which began in 1920. But the gov ernment expenditures have been al most cut in two, taxes have been .twice reduced, and the incoming congress will provide further re ductions. Deflation has run Its course and an era of business activ ity and general prosperity, exceed ing anything ever before experienced in this country and fairly well dis tributed among all our people, ia al ready at hand. Our country has a larger army and a more powerful navy, costing an nually almost twice as much as it ever before had In time of peace. I am a thorough believer In a policy of adequate military preparation. We are constantly working to perfect our defenses in every branch, land forces, air forces, surface and submarine forces. That work will continue Our military establishment of the army and navy, the national guard, and the reserve corps is far super ior to anything we have ever main tained before, except In time of war. In the past six years we have ex . pended about $4,000,000,000 for this purpose. That ought to show results, and those who have correct informa tlon know that st docs sh'iw results. The country can rest assured that t security lies in military force, It was never so secure before in all its histm-y. We have been attempting to relieve ourselves and the other nations from the old theory of competitive arma ments. In spite of all the argu ments in favor of great military forces, no nation ever had an army large enough to guarantee it against attack in time of peace or to insure its victory in time of war. No na tion ever will. Peace and security are more likely to result from fair and honorable dealings, and mutual agreements for a limitation of ar maments among nations, than by any attempt at competition in squadrons and battalions. No doubt this coun try could, if it wished to spend more money, make a better military force, but that is only part of the problem which confronts our government. The real question is whether spend ing moro money to make a better military force would really make a better country. I would bo tlie last to disparage the military art. It is an honorable and patriotic calling of the highest rank. But I can see no merit in any unnecessary expenditure of money to hile men to build fleets and carry muskets when interna tional relations and agreements per mit the turning of such resources in to the making of good roads, the building of better homes, the pro motion of education, and all the other arts of peace w!zlch minister to the advancement of human welfare. Happily, the position of our country is such among the other nations of the world that wre have been and shall be warranted in proceeding in this direction. vvmie u is true tnat we are pay ing out far more money and main taining a much stronger military es tablishment than ever before, because of the conditions stated, we have been able t<^ pursue a moderate course. Our people have had all the war, all the taxation, and all the military service that they want. They have therefore wished to emphasize their attachment to our ancient policy of peace. They have insisted upon economy. They have supported the principle of limitation of ar maments. They have been able to do this because of thr.Jr position and their strength In numbers and in re sources. We have a tremondous nat ural power which supplements our arms. We are conscious that no other nation harbors any design to put u» in jeopardy. It Is our purpose in our Intercourse with foreign pow ers to rely not on the strength of bur fleets and our armies but on the Justice of our cause. For those rea sons our country has net wished to maintain huge military forces. It has been convinced that it could bet ter serve humanity oy using its re sources for other purposes. In dealing with our military prob lems there Is one principle that Is exceedingly Important. Our Institu tions are 1 'unded not on military power but on civil authority. We are irrevocably committed to the theorj of a government by the people. We have our constitutions and our laws, our executives, our legislatures, and our courts, but ultimately we are governed by public opinion. Our forefathers had seen so much of mili tarism, and suffered so much from It, that they desired to banish It for ever. They believed and declared In at least one of their state constitu tions that the military power should be subordinate to and governed by the civil authority. It is for this rea son that any organization of men In the military service bent on in flaming the public mind for tho pur pose of forcing government action through the pressure of public opin ion Is an exceedingly dangerous un dertaking and precedent. This Is so whatever form it might take, wheth er It be for the purpose of Influenc ing the executive, the legislature, or the heads of departments. It Is for the civil authority to determine W'hat appropriations shall be granted, what appointments shall be made, and what rules shall be adopted for the con duct of its armed forces. Whenever the military power starts dictating to the civil authority, by whatsoever means adopted, the liberties of the country are beginning to end. Na tional defense should at all times be supported, but any form of militarism should be resisted. Undoubtedly one of the most Im portant provisions in the preparation for national defense is a proper and sound selective service act. Such a law ought to give authority for a very broad mobilization of all the re sources of the country, both persons and materials. I can see some diffi culties In the application of the prin ciple. for It i3 the payment of a high er price that stimulates an Increased production, but whenever it can be done without economic dislocation such limits ought to be established in time of war as would prevent so far as possible all kinds of profiteer ing. There is little defense which can be made of a system which puts some men in the ranks on very small pay and leaves others undisturbed to reap very large profits. Even the Income tax. which recaptured for the benefit of the national treasury alone about 75 per cent, of si\ch profits, while local governments t )ok part of the remainder, is not a complete ans wer. The laying of taxes is, of course, in itself a conscription of whatever is necessary of the wealth of the country for national defense, but taxation does not meet the full requirements of the situation. In the advent of war, power should be lodged somewhere for the stabiliza tion of prices as far as that' might be possible in justice to the country and its defenders. But It will always be impossible to harmonize justice and war. It is al ways possible to purchase materials with money, but patriotism can not be purchased. Unless the people are willing to defend their country be cause of their belief In It, because of their affection for It, and because it Is representative of their home, their country can not be defended. If we are looking for a more complete reign of justice, a more complete supremacy of law, a more complete social harmony, we must seek It In the paths of peace. Progress in these directions under the present order cf the world Is not likely to be made ex cept during a state of domestic and International tranquility. One of the great questions before the nations today is how to promote such tranquility. The economics problems of society are important. On the whole, we are meeting them fairly well. They are so personal and so pressing^that they never fail to receive constant atten tion. But they are only part. We need to put a proper emphasis on the other problems of society. We need to consider what attitude of the public mind it Is necessary to cu'.lvate in order that & mixed popu lation like our own may dwell to gether more harmoniously and the family of nations reach a better state of understanding. You who have been In the service know how absolu tely necessary It Is In a military organization that the individual sub ordinate some part of his personality for the general good. That is the one great lesson which results from the training of a soldier. Whoever has been taught that lesson In camp and field is thereafter the better equipped to appreciate that it Is equally appli cable In other departments of life. It Is necessary In the home, In Industry and commerce, In scientific and intellectual development. At the foundation of every strong- and ma ture character we finl this trait which is best described as being sub ject to decipllno. The essence of it is toleration. It Is toleration in the broadest and most Inclusive sense, a liberality of mind, which gives to the opinions and judgements of others the same generous consideration that It asks for its own. and which is moved by the spirit of the philosopher who declared that "To know all Is to forgive all.” It may not bo given to finite beings to attain that Ideal, but It is none the less one toward which we should strive. One of tho most natural of reactions during tho war was Intolerance. But the Inevitable disregard for the opin ions and feelings of minorities t.s none the less a disturbing product of war psychology. The slow and difficult advances which tolerance and liberalism have madfe through long periods of development are dissipated almost in a night when the necessary war-time habits of thought hold the minds of the people. The necessity tor m common purpose and a united intellectual front becomes paramount to everything else. But when the need for a solidarity la past there should be a quick and gener ous readiness to revert to the old and normal habits of thought. There should be an Intellectual demobiliza tion as well as a military demobiliza tion. Progress depends very largely on the encouragement of variety. Whatever tends to standardize the community, to establish fixed and rigid modes of thought, tends to fos silize society. If we all believed the same thing and thought the same thoughts and applied the same valua tions to all the occurrences about us, we should reach a state of equlllb rulm closely akin to an Intellectual and spiritual paralysis. It is the fer ment of ideas, the clash of disagree ing judgments, the privilege of the individual to develop his own thoughts and shape his own char acter, that makes progress possible. It Is not possible to learn much from those who uniformly agree with us. But many useful things are learned from those who disagree with us; and even when we can gain nothing our differences aro likely to do us no harm. In this period of after-war rigidity, suspicion and intolerance our own country has not been exempt from unfortunate experiences. Thanks to our camparative isolation, we have known less of the international fric tions and rivalries than some other countries less fortunately situated. But among some of the varying racial, religious, and social groups of our people there have been manifesta tions of an intolerance of opinion, a narrowness of outlook, a fixity of judgment, against which we may well be warned. It is not eafey to con ceive of anything that would be more unfortunate In a community based up on the ideals of which Americans boast than any considerable develop ment of intolerance as regards relig ion. To a great extent this country owes its beginnings to the deter mination of our hardy ancestors to maintain complete freedom in relig ion. Instead of a state churcJi we have decreed that every citizen Uhall be free to follow the dictates of his own conscience as to his religious beliefs and affiliations. Under that guaranty we have erected a system which is certainly justified by its fruits. Under no other could wo have dared to invite the peoples of all countries and creeds to come here and unite with us in creating the State of which we are all citizens. But having invited them here, hav ing accepted their great varied con tributions to tiie building of the na tion, it is for us to maintain In ail good faith those liberal institutions and traditions which have been so productive of good. The bringing to gether of all these different national, racial, religious and cultural ele ments has made our country a kind of composite of the rest of the world, and we can render no greater ser vice than by demonstrating the pos sibility of harmonious cooperation among so many various groups. Kvery one of them has something characteristic and significant of great value to cast into the comon fund of our material, intellectual, and spiritual resources. The war brought a great test of our experiment in amalgamating these varied factrrs into a real na tion, with the Ideals and aspirations of a united people. None was ex cepted from the obligation to serve when the hour of danger struck. The event proved that our theory had been sound. On a solid foundation of national unity there had been erected a superstructure which in its varied parts had offered full op portunity to develop all the range of talents and genius that had gone in to its making Well-nigh all the races, religions, and nationalities of the world were represented In the urmed forces of this nation, as they I Here’s His Badge Here’s a photo of the badge that President Coolldge wore today at the American Legion convention. were In the body of our population. No man's patriotism was Impugned or service questioned because of his racial orlyin, his political opinion, or his religious convictions. Immigrants and sons of immigrants from the cen tral European countries fought side by side with those who descended from the countries which were our allies; with the sons of equatorial Africa; and with the red men of our own aboriginal population, all of them equally proud of the name Americans. We must not, in times of peace, permit ourselves to lose any part from this structure of patriotic unity. I make no plea for leniency toward those who are criminal or vicious, 1 are open enemies of society and are not prepared to accept the true stand ards of our citizenship. By tolerance I do not mean indifference to evil. 1 mean lespect for different kinds of good. Whether one traces his Ameri canism bnek three centuries to the Mayflower, or three years to the steerage, Is not half so important as whether h)s Americanism of today is real and genuine. No matter by what various crafts we came here, we are all now in the same boat. You men constituted the crew of our "Ship «f State” during her passago through the roughest waters. You made v:p the watch and held the danger posts T7hen the storm was fiercest. You brought her safely and triumphantly into port. Out of that experience you have learned the lossons of disci pline, tolerance, respect for authority, and regard fop the basic manhood of yonr neighbor. You bore aloft a standard of patriotic conduct and civic Integrity, to which all could re pair. Such a standard, with a like common appeal, must be up held Just as firmly and unitedly now in time of peace. Among citizens honestly devoted to the maintenance of that standard, there need be small concern about difference of Individual opinion In other regards.* Granting first the essentials of loyalty to our country and to our fundamental in stitutions, we may not only overlook, but we may encourage differences of opinion as to other things. For dif ferences of this kind will certainly be elements of strength rather Wwih of weakness. ’ They will give variety to our tastes and Interests. They will broaden our vision, atrengthen our understanding, encourage the true humanities, and enrich our whole mode and conception of life. I recog nize the full and complete necessity of 100 per cent. Americanism, but 100 per cent.' Americanism may be made up of many various elements. If we are to have that harmony and tranquility, that union of spirit which Is the foundation of real na tional genius and national progress’, we must all realize that there are true Americans who did not happen to be born In our section of the country, who do not attend our place of rellg ous worship, who are not of our ra cial stock, or who are, not proficient in our language. If we are to create on this continent a free republic and p.n enlightened civilization that will be capable of reflecting the true greatness and glory cf rr.anklnd, It will be necessary to regard these dif ferences as accidental and unessen tial. We shall have to look beyond the outward manifestations of race and creed. Illvlne Providence has not bestowed upon any race a mon opoly of patriotism and character. The same principle that It Is nec essary to apply to the attitude of mind among our own people it is also necessary to apply to the atti tude of mind among the different na- t tlons. During the war we were re quired not only to put a strong em phasis on everything that appealed to our own national pride but an equal ly strong emphasis on that which tended to disparage other peoples There was an Intensive cultivation of animosities and hatreds and en mities, together with a blind appeal to force, that took possession of sub stantially all the peoples of the earth. Of course, these ministered to the war spirit. They supplied the incen tive for destruction, the motive for conquest. But in time of peace these sentiments are not helps but hind rances; they are not constructive. The generally expressed desire of ‘‘America first” can not be criticized. It Is a perfectly correct aspiration for our people to cherish. But the problem which we have to solve is how to make America first. It can not bo done by the cultivation of na tional bigotry, arrogance, or selfish ness. Hatreds, Jealousies, and suspi cions will not be productive of any benefits In this direction. Here again wo must apply the rule of tolerailon. Because there are other peoples whose ways are not our ways, and whose thoughts are not our thoughts, we are not warranted in drawing' the conclusion that they am adding noth ing to the sum of civilization. We can make little contribution to the wel fare of humanity on the theory that we are a superior people and ad others are an Inferior people. We d>> not need to be too loud In the asser tion of our own righteousness. It Is true that we live under most favor able circumstances- But before wa come to the final and Irrevocable decision that we are better that everybody else we need to consider what we might do if we had thelT provocations and their difficulties. We are not likely to Improve our own condition or help humanity very much until we come to the sympa thetic understanding that human na ture is about the same everywhere', that It is rather evenly distributed over the surface of the earth, and that we are all united In a common brotherhood. Wo can only make America first In the 'true sense which that means by cultivating a spirit of friendship and good will, by the exercise of the virtues of patience and forbearance, by being "plenteous In mercy,” and through progress at home and helpfulness abroad stand ing as an example of real service to humanity. It is for these reasons that it seems clear that the results of the war will be lost and we shall only be entering a period of preparation for another conflict unless we can demobilize the racial antagonisms, fears, hatreds, and suspicions, and create an attitude of toleration In the pub lic mind of the peoples of the earth. If our country Is to have any posi tion of leadership, I trust It may he In that direction, and I believe that the place where It should be gin is at home. Let us cast off our* hatreds. Let us candidly accept our treaties and our national obligations of peace. We know and everyone knows that these old systems, antag onisms, and reliance on force have failed. If the world has made any progress, It has been the result of the development of other Ideals. If we are to maintain and perfect our own civilization, If we are to be of any benefit to the rest of mankind, we must turn aside from the thoughts of destruction and cultivate the thoughts of construction. We can not place our main reliance upon mater ial forces. >We must reaffirm and re inforce our ancient faith in truth and justice, In charitableness and tol *ranco. We must make our supreme commitment to the everlasting spll* ltual forces of life. (We must mo bilize the conscience of mankind* Your gatherings are a living testi mony of a determination to sup port these principles. It would be im possible to come into this presence, which la a symbol of more than 300 years of our advancing civilization, which represents to such a degree the hope of our consecrated living and the prayers of our hallowed dead, without a firmer conviction of the deep and abiding purpose of our country to live in accordance with this vision. There have been and will be lapses and discouragement, sur face storms and disturbances. The shallows will murmur, but the deep Is still. We shall be made aware of the boisterous and turbulent forces of evil about us seeking the things which are temporal. But we shall also be made aware of the still small voice arising from the fireside of every devoted home in the land seek ing the things which are eternal. To such a country, to such a cause, the American Legion has dedicated it self. Upon this rock you stand for the service of humanity. Against It no power can prevail. __ m -_'I GOES 40,000 MILES TO STUDY FOOD FOR INDIAN POTENTATE Toklo.—The meals should be good at the palace of the Maharajah of Baroda when Fatteslng Kale gets back. Fatteslng is now in Japan after having traveled 40,000 miles to study the culinary arts of the world so that rare dishes may be prepared for the sumptuous banquets given by the Indian potentate. Bi has been traveling three years and will not get back to India until some time in 1926. According to Kale, the hotels in Switzerland are the best In the world. American hotels are luzuri ous but are so huge and so busy that they cannot give the personal attention to guests that is a feature of the Swiss hostelrles. Sweden and Germany Try New Teaching Program Stockholm.—An international edu cational experiment that may have far reaching effects has been started this summer by language teachers la Sweden and Germany, namely the exchange during the summer vaca tion of school children of the same ago, sex and general social rank be tween families in the two countries. Next year similar arrangement* will be made by Sweden with France and England, the object being to give the pupils practical training in the use of languages they have studies theoretically in school. Only the distance and expense of trans portatlon prevents an extension o' i the exchange plan to the Unitetl States. The idea was first tested out be tween England and France after tho war when so many citizens of either country had learned that though they knew how to read the language of the other, they knew very little about how to speak it. This year three groups of Swedish children, ranging In ages from 12 to 16, have been ex changed for three groups of German children In the same number, each living in the vicinity of Weimar, Potsdam or Jena. Sweden has been divided into three corresponding districts, centered at Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmoe. As free trips have been provided by the Swedish state railways for the German children and by the German railroads for the Swedish ones, and board has been exchanged at par the expenses hate, been very small