The Commoner
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14
VOL. ,17, NO. 3
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Congressman Bailey's Speech
Below arc printed the remarks of Hon. War
ren Worth Bailey of Pennsylvania, In the House
of Representatives, February 17, 1917, during
tho progress of the debato on tho army appro
priation bill. Ed.
Mr. Bailoy. Mr. Chairman, for one, I wish to
hurl back tho charge of cowardice flung at the '
advocates of peaco by tho gentleman from Mas
sachusetts (Mr. Gardner).
Mr. Gardner. Mr. Chairman, will the gentle
man yield?
Mr. Bailey. Yes.
Mr. Gardner. When did I accuse you or any
other advocate of peace of cowardice?
Mr. Bailey. I will quote your language later,
. if you please. I do not care to be diverted just
now.
It takes more courage than was over concoived
of in the philosophy of swashbuckling shoulder
strappers to face tho mob and to bring to bear
upon.it tho forces of reason and justice. Is that
courago which enables the soldier to march up
to tho cannon's mouth tho only or the greatest
courago which men may show? No; a thousand
times no. There is a brute courago and there it
also a moral courage. There is the courage oi
tho hulldog, the courage of-tho tomcat, the" courage-,
of tho cock sparrow, the courage of a rep
tile which attacks another reptile. But is this
. courage such as to Inspire our loftiest admira
tion Is it tho sort of courage we try to de
velop qnd strengthen In our children? Who is
the greater hero he that taketh a city or ho
that conqueroth his own soul?
The gentleman from Massachusetts may arro
gate to himself a heroism that ho denies to men
like William Jennings Bryan, Henry Ford, David
Starr Jordan, and tho gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Callaway). But I am here to say that any
one of these is possessed of a spirit of heroism
as far surpassing that before which the gentle
" man from Massachusetts prostrates himself as
day surpasses night. The heroism which en
thralls the gentleman from Massachusetts is
4 that of the jungle.
Mr. Gardner. Will the gentleman yield? I
call tho gentleman's attentibn to the rule of the
house which says that a member shall proceed
in order and avoid personalities. I do not ob
ject to a reasonable amount of criticism.
Mr. Bailoy. I would like to ask the gentle
man if he proceeded in order the other day
when he branded those who stand for peace as
' cowards and allies of Germany. (Applause.)
Mr. Gardner. If the gentleman can point out
' a single case in which I transgressed tho rights
of tho house, all right. I shall ask the Chair
to rule that the gentleman proceed in oraer and
avoid personalities. I do not object to a reason
able amount of criticism, but I do not want the
whole speech directed toward me.
Mr. Bailey. What is the particular language
tho gentleman objects to?
Mr. Gardner. I call the attention of the
chairman to tho rule of the house which says
. that in debate a member must avoid personal
ities. Mr. Bailey. I hope this will, not be taken out
of my time, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Gardner. I call attention to rule XIV,
which says:
"Sec. 734. When 'any member desires to
speak or deliver any matter to the house he
shall rise and respectfully address himself to
'Mr. Speaker,' and on being recognized ,may ad
. dress the house from any place on the floor or
from the clerks desk,- and shall confine himself
to the question under debate, avoiding person-
ilitles."
. ' Tho Chairman. The Chair thinks, of course,
the general rule is perfectly well understood
that there has got to bo a measure of decorum
. . and propriety in debate which the Chair must
enforce. There is also a latitude of argument
and latitude of reply. What is the particular
. language used by the gentleman from Pennsyl-
vania which is objected to as being an impinge-
ment on tho rule cited?
. iMr,. Gardner. It was tho general fact that he
seemed to be making me the- butt of all his re
. i marks, I never knew the gentleman, -.even by
sight, until tho other day, when he was in the
chair, and I never mentioned his name on. the
floor of the house or elsewhere that I know of.
Well, I do not care. Let him go on. (Laughter).
Mr. Bailey. Mr. Chairman, I repeat that the
heroism which enthralls the gentleman from
Massachusetts is that of the jungle. That is
what I repeat, and I am willing to stand by it.
That which inspires men like William Jen
nings Bryan is the heroism of faith, of service,
of love, of justice, of human kindness, of all
embracing brotherhood.
Mr. Gardner. . Is there a rule of the house,
Mr. Chairman, that requires me to remain and
hear the gentleman? """
Mr. Bailey. No, sir; you are excused, with
my compliments. (Laughter.)
The gentleman from Massachusetts, echoing
the voice of the metropolitan press and of the
military satrapy which seeks to replace the
ideafs Of the republic with those of the princi
palities and powers which are now drinking at
the fountains of blood, bewail the fact that the
American people are taking counsel among
themselves regarding this momentous issue
which he wishes to be determined without their
knowledge or their consent. He would silence
those who can not accept the gospel of the claw
and the fang which he preaches with such ve
hemence. There is to be no counsel save that
of the war lords; no voice heard except that of
the munition maker; no suggestion offered save
by what may be usurped authority. Doubtless
he bqlioves with the Washington Post that
death should be decreed against every American
citizen who dares in this crisis of the nation to
speak the word of soberness in an effort to curb
the mob spirit to which militarism always and
everywhere appeals. His whole attack on those
who believe the people should have some voice
in a matter affecting their most vital interests
is based on the assumptipn that only the war
lords should be heard in such an emergency. He
thinks that only cravens and cowards would
question the word of those who settle disputes
with tho sword and who dispose of issues in
volving national honor wi;h 16-inch guns. Yet
there is a bravery above that of the barracks,
a courage finer than that of the cavalier, a
heroism more splendid than that of the man on
horseback. It is the bravery of the man who
faces the mob; it is the courage of the man who
confronts the serried ranks of prejudice; Jt is
the heroism of the soul which rises superior to
the shafts of ridicule and malevolence in the
cause of right and justice.
Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from Massa
chusetts conjures those who believe in the pos
sibility of a peaceful solution of the pending
problem to "stand by the President." But is he
"standing by the President"? The President is
hoping and striving to avoid war. With a
matchless poise and patience he has thrown his
incomparable influence on the side of peace. By
every means at his command he is endeavoring
to steer the ship of state through troubled
waters to a safe harbor. Yet here is the centle
man from Massachusetts and those for whom he
speaks going to extravagant lengths in their efr
forts to balk him and to force him to enter the
war as an ally of the allies. The gentleman
from Massachusetts makes no concealment of
his purpose. He is at least frank, open, above
board. He does not beat about the busti.
I. wish he were here to listen to this tribute.
He hates Germany with a consuming hatred.
His heart is with Britain, and, he wants to
plunge his country into war as an aid to KVng
George in his struggle to destroy'Germany. Yet
he has the consummate effrontery to stand on
this floor before the American people and as
perse the good faith of those who wish this coun
try to remain neutral and to avoid a dangerous
entanglement with the warring powers. He
charges them with placing loyalty to Germany
above their loyalty to America.
(Mr. Bailey here uttered certain words which
were subsequently ordered stricken out by a
vote of tho hcvuse.) . -
Mr. Bailey. I thank God for Wood
row Wilson and William Jennings Bryan
in this hour of grave peril to- -repub-
lican,. institutions. I thank God .for those- men
and women all-over the- land -who-ref use -to- bow
aUthe feet of Mars at the call of-,the war .mong
ers and the traffickers in munitions. I tbanir
God for those really courageous souls who xt
fuse to be silenced by aii envenomed press which
gets its inspiration from Wall street and wh 2
would crucify every American who dares tn
plead in this hour of stress and strain for re
on to assert herself rather than passion.
Perhaps the gentleman from Massachtunff,,
think that it is cowardice which impels ml n
vote against monstrous appropriations thit
must impose heavy burdens upon my Deoni
Perhaps he thinks that it is cowardice that ha
directed me in protesting- against compulsory
military service. Perhaps he thinks cowardice
explains the fact that all my life long I have
stood four square against militarism in all its
manifestations. Well, he is entitled to his own
opinion in this regard. But how much easier
would it be for me, Mr. Chairman, "t0 no
along," to run with the mob, to shout with tho
hurrah boys, to let the tide of war sweep on
unchallenged until it should engulf my beloved
land and the ideals which have made it precious
to every man who has caught the glowing vision
of human freedom. Oh, how little is the cour
age required of the man Who falls in behind the
tumultous crowd as it rushes on its reckless
way! How little is the courage one must have
to meet the call of the jungle. It is the call of
civilization that tries. It is the call of human
ity that brings the real test. It is the call of
justice which applies the acid to our mettle.
I can understand why dogs fight. They know
no better. I can understand why the cock spar
row struggles, with his" rival until he dies. Ho
is governed by his instinct and not by reason.
But I can not understand why men fight, be
cause men know better; they have the gift of
reason, they know right from wrong, evil from
good, justice from injustice". And men have,
indeed, ceased to settle their personal differences
by appeal to force. They no longer vindicate
their honor by killing some one or getting
killed. They no longer measure their valor by
the number of victims they have sent to tho
cemetery. And there is none we so much de
spise today as the bully, the1 bad man, the chap
that carries a gun and looks for trouble. "We
do not honor him. We do not make him the
gorgeous and glittering center of our social
life. He does not occupy the chief seat in our
synagogues nor the first place at our feasts. No.
We send him to jail. We put him on the rock
pile. We drive him out of our peaceful com
munities. We point him out to our children
as a horrible example. And we warn the youth
of the land against following in his crooked
courses.
Yet we magnify the name of the bully when
he wears an epaulette and corries a sword. We
hail him as a hero and savior. We decorate him
with honors and ascribe to him qualities and
aspirations tha belong to the gods. We place
him on a lofty pedestal and invite our children
to look up and admire, if not to worship. We
make of him an idol before which all the hum
ble and the patriotic must bow if they would es
cape calumny. -
- Neither as a citizen nor as a member of con
gress have I reached the pass where anyone can
put a gag in my mouth or a seal on my mind.
I am still a free man, an American, a citizen, a
soldier of the common good, whose only weapon
is the sword of truth, whose only defense is the
armor of justice. And in this hour o'l fear and
foreboding I donot falter. My faith is unshaken.
My courage is that of one who believes that
ever the right comes uppermost and ever is
justice done. We can go into this war across
the waters or we can stay out of it, and it will
take a higher courage to stay out of it than to
plunge into it at the call of jingoism. We can
go into it and help the kings and princes of the
Old World in their mad struggle to strengthen
their thrones and extend their dominions, we
can get into it and underwrite the securities
which Wall- street has taken, for
the billions loaned the allies. We can
go into it and sacrifice the fair youth of our
land, your boy and mine. We can go into it ana
fasten on those who shall come after us a bur
den of debt -which will press them down ror
- generations. We may go into it and say tnai
-we aredolng it to, vindicate a right which migui
be-better vindicated, by, another appeal tnaIV"
: beak-and-talon;- We can -get into it and enncu
the -soil of 'Europe witi our best -blood, wn
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