The Commoner
JUNE, 1916
17
existence, two came under republican adminis
trations, and mnder circumstances where the
democrats could not possibly bo to blame. But,
banking on their voters lack of information,
they continued to repeat that stale falsehood
year after year. They can not do it any more,
for the democratic party came into power and
all their dismal prophecies have failed.
Why, they said that the democrats could not
devise a low tariff law that would stand in time
of peace. God gave us enough time of peace to
demonstrate that they were wrong, and then a
war came that has demonstrated that even a
war can not shake the foundations of the dem
ocratic tariff system.
While our President and our congress were
at work constructing this splendid pyramid of
performance, a war came that threw upon this
administration such burdens as no President has
had to bear within the last fifty years; and the
democratic party, aside from deserving the grat
itude of the nation for its remedial legislation,
deserves gratitude also for the manner in which
it has dealt with delicate international problems.
We inherited from a republican administra
tion an insurrection in Mexico.' It did not arise
under this administration. You will find in the
state department a telegram sent by Huerta to
the preceding president: "I have overthrown the
government."
Yes, the government was overthrown, and
th's administration has dealt with that situation
and the republican party dare not challenge a
verdict before the country on the Mexican ques
tion. Your great chairman today pointed out that
our policy had followed the precedent set by one
of the most illustrious of our presidents, the
greatest republican president, Abraham Lincoln;
and he showed also what would have been the
result had. we yielded to the importunities of
interested parties, or to the threats of repub
lican politicians, and invaded Mexico for the
purpose of intervention.
The President will not lack those who will de
fend his conduct. Aye, in every home you will
flnd.a mother who will thank the President. that
her boy has not been sent to Mexico to die in the
trenches.
We have a few men interested in ranches, and
a few interested in mines, who would use the
blood of American soldiers to guarantee profits
on their investments in a foreign land. But
that is not the sentiment of the American peo
ple. The people of this country stand back of
Woodrow Wilson in his determination not to in
tervene in the affairs of Mexico.
Why, my friends, if President Wilson had
yielded to the demand of those who clamor for
intervention in Mexico, we would no sooner have
crossed the line than the same men would have
demanded that the soldiers must never come out;
for, my friends, annexation is the next step after
intervention has been undertaken.
If we invade Mexico, these same men will say,
"On to Panama." The men who would seek to
make this government a conquering nation
would destroy all the advantages gained in the
half century during which we have striven to
cultivate the confidence of countries in Central
and South America.
But, my friends, the President not only has
had to deal with war to the south of us, but war
to the east of us. The whole world is in the
throes of a war without a precedent and with
out a parallel. Three million men have already
died more ,than the population of one state,
if our 48 states were equal in population and
more men have been wounded than there are
people living in any state in this Union. The
rew debts that have been contracted during this
war now amount to as mUch as all the debts that
have come down from all the jjvars of all past
history to the beginning of the present conflict.
Five hundred years from now little children
will be born into the world, their necks under
a yoke of debt placed upon posterity by this
generation. There have been meetings held in
this country when men of prominence have urged
this government to participate in this war. My
friends, I have differed from our President as to
some of the methods employed by the President
to prevent war, but I join the rest of the nation
in gratitude that at a time like this we have a
President who is trying to keep us out of this
war.
If this convention had done nothing more, it
has justified its assembling by the speech made
in the presence of this audience yesterday by the
distinguished gentleman from New York who
presided as your temporary chairman. He has
piled up precedent upon precedent, and all the
democrats of the nation have now to do In order
to answer any criticism of the President's re
fusal to go to war, is to take the precedents
cited by him and ask, as ho did, what did the
former chief executives of this country do did
they go to war? No, they settled the problem,
as our President is trying to do in the present
crisis.
My friends, we do not know when It will be
possible to bring this war to a close, but wo 'do
know that ours, the greatest neutral nation, is
the one to which the world is looking to act as
mediator when the time for mediation comes.
I appeal to the sense of justice of the Amer
ican people; when in God's time, the honor of
mediating shall fall to this nation, is it fair that
the honor shall fall to one who has not borno
the burden in the heat of the day? Is not the
President of the United States, who for two years
has borne a burden such as few men on earth
have ever been called upon to carry if he had
been able to protect the neutrality of this na
tion and to save it from participation in this
awful war should not the honor of being
peacemaker come to him, and to the party that
selected him?
Why does the republican party, some of whose
leaders have tried to force the President into
this war, come now, when their efforts have
failed, and ask the honor of being mediator be
tween the contending nations?
We have a record upon which we can appeal
to the people for their support, without fear and
without blush. I believe the American people,
grateful for what this administration has done,
grateful that we have peace in this country
while war stalks throughout the world, will not
be unmindful of the fact that it was a demo
cratic President supported by a democratic sen
ate and house who has thus saved the country
from the horrors of war.
Who can say what part this nation is destined
to play in the future history of the world? I
love jny party, not only for what it has done
in the past, but for what it must do in the future,
as the people's instrument in protecting their
rights and guarding their interests. When the
day comeB for the world's peace to be restored
and for the treaties to be written that will guard
against future wars, what administration is more
worthy of the honor than the administration
that has given to three-quarters of the world a
treaty plan that makes war a remote possibility
between us and nearly all the principal nations
of the earth?
I believe that there is now before this coun
try an opportunity such as no other country has
ever had since the beginning of time. I believe
that God, in His providence, has reserved for the
United States the honor and the task of lifting
the moral code that governs individuals up to
the level of nations and making it a part of the
code of all governments.
There is a picture that has attracted comment
wherever it has been exhibited the picture of
Christ before Pilate. PHate represented the
power of the Roman government, and back of
him were the legions of Rome. Before Pilate,
helpless, unarmed, stood the Apostle of Love.
Force triumphed; they nailed him to the tree,
and those who stood around mocked and jeered
and said, "He is dead!" But that, instead of
being the end, was only the beginning. In a few
centuries the power of Caesar was gone and his
legions forgotten. The power of Christ, how
ever, increased until hundreds, yes, thousands
of millions have taken His name with reverence
upon their lips; millions have been ready to die
rather than surrender the faith He put into
their hearts. He has become the great fact of
history, the glowing figure of all time. Today
Christ and Pilate again stand face to face Force
and Love are again striving for mastery and do
minion. The old world represents force. It built
its hope of peace on fear and threats of violence.
Bach nation attempted to terrorize other nations
Into peace, and in their efforts they engendered
hatreds that ended in war.
If the nations now at war had spent one-tenth
as much trying to cultivate friendship as they
have spent In cultivating hatred, there .would be
no war in Europe today.
If I understand this nation's opportunity and
this nation's task, It Is to lead the world away
from its false philosophy and help it to build its
hope of permanent peace on the foundation of
love and brotherhood and co-operation.
If this Is to be the task of this nation, what
party is more fit to perform the task than the
party that preaches the brotherhood of man as
next In importance to the fatherhood of God?
L as a lover of my country, want my country
to win this greatest of all prizes. As a demo-,
crat, I want my party to havo tho honor that
will come with tho accomplishment of such a
task. As a lover of my country and as a demo
crat I join you in tho endeavor to give to Wood
row Wilson tho opportunity to perform this task
for tho nation and tho world.
Democratic National
Platform
(Continued from Pago Seven)
interests of society; tho adoption of tho proba
tion system, especially in the case of first offend
ers not convicted of serious crimes.
PENSIONS
"Wo renew the declaration of recent demo
cratic platforms relating to generous pensions
for soldiers and their widows, and call attention
to our record of performance in this particular.
WATERWAYS AND FLOOD CONTROL
"Wo renew tho declaration in our last two
platforms relating to tho development of our
waterways. The recent devastation of tho lower
Mississippi valloy and several other sections by
floods accentuates the movement for tho regu
lation of river flow by additional bank and levee
protection below and diversion, storage and con
trol of flood waters above and their utilization
for beneficial purposes in the reclamation of
arid and swamp lands and development of wa
ter power, instead of permitting the floods to
continue as heretofore, agents of destruction.
Wo hold that tho control of the Mississippi river
is a national problem. Tho preservation of tho
depth of its waters for purposes of navigation,
tho building of levees and works of bank pro
tection to maintain the integrity of its channel
and prevent tho overflow of its valley resulting
in tho interruption of interstate commerce, tho
disorganization of the mall service and tho enor
mous loss of life and property, impose an obli
gation which alone can bo discharged by the na
tional government.
"Wo favor the adoption of a liberal and com
prehensive plan for tho development and im
provement of our harbors and Inland waterways
with economy and efficiency so as to permit
their navigation by vessels of standard draft.
ALASKA
"It has and will be the policy of the demo
cratic party to enact all laws necessary for the
speedy development of Alaska and its great na
tural resources.
TERRITORIES
"We favor granting to the people of Alaska,
Hawaii and Porto Rico the traditional territorial
government accorded to all . territories of the
United States since the beginning of our gov
ernment and we believe the officials appointed
to administer the government of those several
territories should be qualified by previous bona
fide residence.
CANDIDATES
"We unreservedly endorse our President and
vice president, Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey
and Thomas Riley Marshall of Indiana, who
have performed the functions of their great
offices faithfully and impartially and with dis
tinguished ability.
"""In prticular, we commend to the American
people he splendid diplomatic victories of our
great President, who has preserved the vital in
terests of our government and its citizens and
kept us out of war.
Woodrow Wilson stands, today the greatest
American of his generation!
CONCLUSION
"This Is a critical hour in the history of
America, a critical hour in the history of the
world. Upon the record above set forth, which
shows great constructive achievement In follow
ing out a consistent policy for our domestic and
internal development; upon the record of the
democratic administration, which has main
tained the honor, the dignity, Interests of the
United States and at the same time retained the
respect and friendship of all the nations of the
world, and upon the great policies for the future
strengthening of the life of our country, the en
largement of our national vision and the en
nobling of our international relations, as set
forth above, we appeal with confidence to the
voters of the country."
