The Commoner
JANUARY, 1915
eystdm itself is being paraded as a moans to that
end rather than as an instrument of wat. Hence
the peace of the people must surely be a con
dition conducive to their welfare and happiness,
and to be cherishod by them as the most valu
able asset of civilized society. If that be so, it
seems proper to inquire: What have tho nations
of the world, what have wo done to protect it
and to make it secure beyond all human perad
venture? Again I point to the Mexican trouble
as the most illuminating answer And what I am
going to say is the second object lesson which our
recent troubles have brought homo 1(0 us. A naval
commander in foreign wateVs demands a certain
kind of reparation for what he terms an insult
to the American uniform and- flag.- In fact, with
out specific instructions from his government, he
issues an ultimatum -to tho effect that, unless his'
terms aro complied with within a few hours; he
will begin to bombard the town: The president
and congress -under these forced circumstances
are obligpd to stand by him of course I do not.
But, in spite of the fact that congress and the
president stood by him, you can see in reality '
that It is not congress which declares war, al
though congress is the sole authority to declare
war, according to the terms of theconstitutioUi
It is rather. a. single naval officer who, acting on
the spur of the moment and in an impassioned
mood, dares to embroil the whole-country in
war. Does this not show conclusively that our
peace, despite the enlightenment of the age Is not
sufficiently safeguarded that, in. fact, it hangs
on a very thin thread? Now it is a, "casus belli"
like this that the peace party propose to guard
against. Perhaps we can not prevent the oc
currence .itsoU at least not as long as our
battleships are moving around the world foment,
ing trouble but we can guard, and ought to
guard, against such trivial incidents plunging
the country into the horrors of w.ar Gentlemen,
if but the American people and all the other na
tions Qf the world would take. JLhese lessons to
heart, the Mexican embroglio might eventually
be hailed as, a blessing in disguise!
Take also, the measure of greatness which
Christ presents one that wo. all recognize to be
true .and yet how .slowly it ias, made-progress.
It is the- most evolutionary .of doctrines that
greatHess.is to be measured by service. The sel
Dsb, Idea Is .that greatness Is to be measured by
what you can compel people to ,do for you; but
the real measure, of greatness is what you volun
tarily do for others. Life is nqt to be estimated
by what you get out of it; it is to be estimated
by what you put into it. Now, this needs no
proof. It is a self-evident truth,, and yet how
slowly this doctrine makes progress throughout
tho world.
You are engaged in the promotion of a great
cause, and because it is great it does not move
rapidly. The trees' that stand the blasts of the
storm are the trees of slow growth. Those trees
that spring up quickly have not great strength.
It is because your cause takes hold upon that
which, is most vital in life and of that, which is
fundamental in civilization that you must not
expect it to run you must be content if it
walks. But it is growing, and we could not face
the future with, hope if it were not growing. If
we could be convinced that the idea of peace
was going backward, there would not be a single
star in the sky. It is only because we do be
lieve, and believe with all our hearts, that the
peace movement is making progress; for that
reason, and for that reason only, we believe that
the future is bright. We must not expect that
the progress will be the samo everywhere
throughout the world. We have to meet condi
tions,, some of them far from ideal. The ideal
inspires, and we look to it and work toward it.
We must not be disappointed if we find it im
possible at once to realize the ideal. It would
not be a high ideal if It were within our reach;
it would not bo a worthy ideal if it were not lofty
enough to keep us looking upward all the time;
it would not be an ideal worth while if we ever
expected fully to attain it.
But our cause is making progress, There Is
not a country in the world that has not felt to
some extent tho impetus of the peace movement;
if you have any doubt of it, let me give you evi
dence that I regard as conclusive and most en
couraging. Your chairman has been kind
enough to refer to the peace plan which has
by the president's authority, been presented to
the world. It was, on the 26th day of April a
little more than- a year agopresented to the
foreign representatives residing in Washington.
Before a year had expired the-principle had been
accepted by morja than thirty governments, Ten
resenting more than three-fourths of all the peo
ple of the world. Now, when the governments
Boys, Will You Sign the Pledge With Me?
A pledge of total abstinence i3 being signed by
a host of boys in Michigan why not the boyB of
other states as well? A book will be opened at
Tho Commoner ofllce, wherein will be entered
the names and addresses of thoso who sign this
pledge with me. Cut out the pledge, paste it on
a piece of paper and sign it. Lay the pledge
away that you may have it as a reminder of tho
decision you have made, but send a rostal card
to The Commoner, stating that you have signed
it, and giving your ago and address. If you do
not caro to stato your ago, uso tho word "adult,"
instead of giving tho number of years. Receipt
of thcso pledges will bp acknowledged by publi
cation in Tho Commoner in which only tho natne
and address will bo given. Ask others to sir
with you secure as many signatures as possible
and thus be the means of sprcadlug tho influ
ence of the pledge. Thoso who abstain from
drink do .good not only to thomsolvcs, but to,
.those .alsp who are oncouraged by their example.
"W. J. BRYAN;
v
yC fi&&u;.z -ste-nx.
L.'l
r .J
' ' I V. . 'I1
' 7L ylyyUC , d&i
. tiJL&fis
i2ls
f- OL1
, &J(
;
Ct-v. Li.
Ns
ilf &z
'&CWLs
CL.
?
.' XraXi I
0-K ZP 9'V.
IsjuL-tz,
I I - II 9 i -- 1t
sv. 'Cky. v jk-i4b4
(This is tho temperance pledge in Mr. Bryan's own handwriting that he presented to 5,000
boys at Ann Arbor. It will be circulated all over the state by boys of tho Y. M. C. A. Mr".
Bryan believes that 50,000 'Michigan boys wjll sign with him. Detroit (Michigan) Times.)
While Mr. Bryan asks tho readers of Tho Commoner to sign with him, ho desires it understood,
that his object is to secure signers, not merely to enjoy the honor of signing with othdrs, If any
one prefers to sign by himself, let him do so. Or, it he prefers, let him ask any one lie plea
to sign with him. But whether alone or with another, let him SIGN.
representing more than three-fourths of all the
human beiugs on this globe will endorse a plan
that contemplates- a period of deliberation and
investigation before there can bo a declaration of
war or the commencement of hostilities; when
that can be done by governments representing
more than three-fourths of the pjoplc3 of the
world, and done in a single year, certainly there
is no reason for discouragement. Not only has
this been done, but treaties have .been signed
with fifteen of these countries, and ten more
have their treaties practically ready. Among
the ten whose treaties are practically completed
are Great Britain, France, and China, and the
three greatest republics of South America. When
the ten pow approaching completion aro signed,
as they will be at no distant day, we will have
considerably more than one-half of the people
of tho world living under governments which
are linked to us by treaties which provide that
neither -side shall fire a shot until the cause of
dispute has been investigated by an impartial
commission. (The nations above mentioned have
since signed thirty is the total number at this
time.)
That is the progress that has been made in a
little more than a year, and yet this progress
would not have been possible had it not been for
the preliminary work dono in the years that
have passed I rejoice in the prospect today
and In the progress that we now witness; I am
grateful to those who have given to this move
ment enthusiastic support, and who, so many
years before we were born, realized that there
was a higher plane than the plane of physical
force upon which to settle international differ
ences. Their labors have not been in vain. Wo
shall not know tho names of all, nor shall we
be able to estimate with accuracy tho contribu
tion that each has made. But what difference
does that make? What if the world does not
know? He who from a worthy motive strives
for a' noble cause is not concerned wtiether
others know what he -does or speak words of
praise; it is sufficient for him that he hag done
his part and lived up to- the opportunities that
havo come to him.
It takes tho work of all to accomplish, the
total result. A few years ago my wife and I
visited the Grand Canyon ia Arizona. . We went
down 4,600 feet from the top of the Canyon to
where the Colorado river wends its way, and
.thejo we saw evidences of tho action of (he
waters through the ages. As, wo lotfked upon
that stream, I wondered how many drops of
water had found their way through that can
yon. No arithmetic would enable us to compute
them; neither could we toll just what influence
each one had had it was the work of all. And
so with every great movement it is tho work
not of one, or of a few, but of the multitude.
I am' glad to bo with those who, as a part of the
multitude, are working for peace. From the
Advocate of Peace.
George W. Wickersham, who was attorney
general of f.ho United States under President
Tuft, has endorsed as good and fairly sure to ba
effective the Clayton law and tho law creating a
federal trades commission. He is inclined to be
lieve that with a trades commission wisely con
stituted and the law properly administered, the
new policy towards business will prove of great
value. Mr. Wickersham is guarded in his com
mendation, but it is something to secure from a
republican so conservative as ho is, the admis
sion that tho democrats have enacted two good
laws that are calculated to end vexatious condi
tions in commerce. '
A FRIEND
Not since the acquaintance was formed at the
Chicago convention in 189 G, have I lost a more
devoted friend than Charles Henry Daugherty,
of Philadelphia, who died on tho 18th of last
month.
He went to the Chicago convention opposed
to tho financial policy endorsed by the conven
tion, but left the city as earnest and zealous a
supporter as any of thoso who went to the con
vention instructed. During tho nearly two de
cades which havo elapsed since, he was, in season
and out of season, a friend. Whenever I ha4
occasion to visit Philadelphia', no matter on what
mission, his genial face welcomed me and bin
God speed cheered me on my departure. How
ever large a circle of acquaintances one has he
can not but miss one so genuine, so loyal, so
constant as the one whose death Is now recorded.
Public life has its trials and burdens, but suck
affection as Charles Daugherty's weighs feeav-'
ily in the balance against them.
Peace to his ashes; to his bereaved family,
sympathy. W. J. BRYAN.
' ..'
