| Show THEY HAVE FIRED ON SUMTER Early Jn In 1861 the tho war for the ro re re- re wa wafe begun by the tho attack of the confederates on Fort Sumter The o licer In command of that federal fort foiSt had a n small force of men antan and ant an inadequate equipment for actual battle There was within supporting reach of him no force better than his ma ills own He had little ammunition The forces against him were strong They were determined They long onS' onS had cherished the belief that the cause which they her that da day launched was ajust a just and a proper one They The fired on S Fort Sumter What they meant when they fired was that any state of the Union had a aright alight right to secede if It wanted to that an any number of states had hall a right to combine and secede in a bod body leaving leav caving ing the tho United States of America and I setting up a a. new and independent go gov- gov v- v t of their own It meant that 1 in th that t now V gov government they had a right to perpetuate human an slavery slavery- to choose and follow an any systems that might seem good to them without the advice or consent of an any other othor nation 4 on earth It mea meant t that a part of the Union bad lad a right to levy p war against th the rest of the Union to break breal and destro destroy p that Union and launch their new government into a career which contemplated opposition opposition armed armed and otherwise against otherwise against the nation of which they had been a part parl The fall of or Fort Sumter was not t in itself a a. vcr very great eat loss to the United States It was a n. little fort anyway In all the rest of the battles batHes 3 of or the war that place rare rarely rose to toa 3 a da day of prominence So far as s the tile 2 little fort was concerned the nation u L could have ignored the tho of Major Majot r j Anderson and his men could have e m dismissed the whole incident as fa far lr r too trl trifling to warrant the expenditure e I I of money or the loss of men But If Fort Sumter could not b be ae C maintained by the federal govern govern- n- n 1 ment mont then secession was established d. d 1 If that fort could not be retaken the then en a the Union which had been cen established ed d ad in blood and tears almost a hundred l ed l years before had ball ceased Its living HYing ig p and a new government had taken II its La place wIth place with a n. hostile power po on ii its Lu borders resolved to again dominate ite Le Lethe the whole of the tho former territory 1 by y conquest of arms In this forenoon of or the twentieth tim century the unholy rich men of the tl IC nation have again fired on Fort sum suin- sat n. n ter tel The They have declared that tin they y yS S must not nal be bo interfered with in ti the e prosecution of their lawless methods method ds Is They admit those methods are arc 1 la law lawless a aw- aw v w- w less but contend business in th this his Is c country can not go on unless they 1 bo Lie LieU permitted to be bo a law unto them U- U selves They want the laws Jaws to 1 bo ho bonot enforced against the rest of the tho elI citi citizenship Li- Li of tho the land but ut they do ii not ot want to be amenable to It themselves es ves is They Ther want er e every man who steals 3 a ahey dollar to be punished by imprison n- n ment But If tr they tIleY steal 11 a million tb the they hey heyt ey have e the assurance to declare it t is isS S business an and that the nation is n not ot strong enough to punish them They Thoy want their thair bous houses s protected protect ed from fire and their persons guarded guard ded ad from the tho attacks of thugs Thi They hey y want all aJi tho benefits and advantages enof es en of governmental protection but they hey thi sy do llo not propose to permit the government government govern govern- Sn- Sn ment meat which tal takes es care of or them to take tal caro care of or an anyone ouo ese else The They Pt propose pro pro- o. o pose to exploit the tile millions deceiving ing tg defrauding doubling and doubling and deem declare laro laroi ro that the life of commerce depends i on n their being permitted to continue tim that at atcon course con rae There was a day when they we rero ro not so 50 brave a day when the they cc contended conting con con- n. n tended that the they were vero not pot violating ting ig any laws Jaws Then President Roosevelt lt lighted his bis Ws torch of or investigation ion n. n I II i I t lI tX a 1 G i Jr t I Then he be awakened the tIle conscience of tho the nation Then he be spoke out plainly plain ly Iy the tho words that have corrected the tho national point of view The Tho lawless rich had hall almost fixed in tho the general thought tho the principle that anything was permissible which could bo ho made mado profitable and that tho the on only thing forbidden was the timing thing which did lid not brIn- brIn brInin in money mone He lie lighted the lamp of an everlasting ing tag truth and set It on the tho hilltop of or Amori American Amorin n manhood By Ily that light was revealed a a. far tar too general habit babit of or dishonest dealing B By fly it was re revealed revealed the measureless robberies of ot the tho life lifA insurance magnates Then was revealed tho the habit of daily violation vio yb- via lation of tho rebate rebato laws by IJ- big shippers Then was revealed an nn attack at at- tack tacIt on time tho rights of the people through combinations too big to be controlled and too strong to deal justly with the people The fhe foes of the republic the foes of civilization the foes of ever every honest thought that had bad been struggling In Inthe tho the hearts of ol men through the con con- fired tories fired on the twentieth century Fort Sumter Thou Then they declared that while their acts had bad been open violations of law av tho the President dl did wrong wrong to light the Uw torch which revealed re reo re- re that condition They declared that business could not prosper unless the thieves were left eft alone They declared dei de- de dared i i that the be man mati who tried to en en- force time tIle law v against the rich rich u uthe anel flU the great was an enem enemy to prosperity and and the they would destroy him The They entered into a giant conspiracy in comparison with which tho the confederate con con- federate meeting at Montgomery Alabama Alabama Ala Ala- bama was tho the beginning of or childs child's pIR play They opened their thell batteries and the they fired tired on a fort which stands as asa asa asa a t type of oC all the nation makers the homo home makers the bread winners of this continent have fought for and struggled for and died for through three years rears i If they win if in in the discrediting a and nd defeat of the tho President of th tin the U United States the principle be established li shed that there Is one ono law for th the l ri rich c ch and another for the tho poor that di dishonesty dishonest must be permitted in Wall Wal Wallstreet st street reet or the business of the nation I ca can n not go on if the they win in the thc co contention on that special privileges be bc s gr granted anted them to inako mako laws Jaws of their ow own n choosing then choosing then this nation is lost It will not be altogether a parallel I c ca case sc se with Fort Sumter That little litto p pl place ac ace could be swept from the face i of or the tho earth and the nation would go gc on But Dut there is an en end o of the o r re republic p pub pubis public if it law is not nol s supreme preme Th There re reis is an end of civilization if the time strong m ma may ay trample the tIle weak under their thou fe feet f et There is an end of the Chrisan Christian Chris ti tian an religion if stealing is defensible N Not ot the tho preservation of the Union L alone al one but the maintaining of manhood man hood ho od throughout all the earth depends on the issues of this conflict T The They have ha declared the they r will destro destroy th the theon e President because he lie has turn turned ell ellon on o n the light and revealed their wicked pr pra practices The They do not deny the vie vio- la lati lation laUon of law They only onh contend that if ic the they be not permitted to continue th the then en Ute they will destroy tho the whole commercIal com com- comi m me mercIal structure of tho the republic If t they hey are arc opposed by this l resident President they hey t will ruin him and choose an- an I an-I ant o other ther 11 in his place It If the they can do llo t tui that hat they ther will have havo fixed and demon- demon s their power to make such laws Jaws I a as s they wish and obe obey or violate t t them hem at will l If It they can win this b ba battle attle they have begun beun they will win have haven havet I nat a at t their merc mercy p every home borne in theand tholand the tho l la land and an and l the tho chains of or their control w will bo be fastened on the tho limbs of en every ry S f freeman r reeman now glorying glorIng in the blessed L h heritage of his independence I This is not a matter of or politics V When Sumter was fired on Democrats Democrats Demo Demo- c and Republicans forgot their d differences and stood shoulder to tc s shoulder and the they ov overthrew threw forever r t the time power and the principle of or s sion It is oven o bigger than the limits lImit I of or the American republic Mankind I Ihas has has' come a long Jong wa way in the progress S of the time world and this Union of States State S has bas been regarded ref as the flower o of t aspiration and achievement If it b be not safe to be honest bonest in America I It t twill will be impossible in 01 0 every laud land beneath be- be boc neath tho the sun If U the limo law Jaw be not nol enforced en n. n forced against the rich and the powerful powerful power power- ful Ui in this country countr then the clock of the tho world has been turned back a thousand years and absolute despotism despot despot- despotIsm ism has returned to rule Tile Tho unholy rich who insist that the they bo ho exempted from the operation of or law admit that President Roosevelt elt is honest honest and that he lie is fearless But they contend conton the time same thing was true truo 1 of f Parsons who was hanged for anarchy anarchy an an- archy at Chi Chicago ago after the IIa Haymarket market riot They contend the tho same thing is true trite of Gorky Gork- who would overthrow tho the sacred altar of the home They declare the tho same samo thing could bo said of ever every rea really dangerous cl character that has bas found a n. place in the pages of history But the they say his very courage and honest honesty make mako him the themore more moro perilous that ho he does not understand unI understand un un- un- un I business and therefore cannot can cannot cannot not comprehend that a rich man mall has bas hasa basa a right to rob a poor man can not understand that au an insurance s sybarite harlte has a right to revel In salacious luxuries lux lux- lux uries urics bought with the dollars saved by sacrifice and sacredly sacredly- dedicated to the tho support of or widows and orphans 4 I Q n 1 b t J S' S I T They o say that the tho er very fact of or his courage and honesty makes it Im Impossible possible for him to understand that gambling is business and superior In rights to an any and all other business of or tho the nation They Thoy say sar that because he lie is fearless ho he refuses to respect tho the man who has gained millions b by methods in violation of or every over law and that because he is brave he seeks to punish these offenders precisely ns fiS ho bo would punish the time ordinary citizen of or America who commits a crime It is timo for the time honest bonest men and women of the tho nation to realize the tho danger that confronts them It Is II time for them to speak in no tam tain tones in support 01 or of tue i who has turned on the light who has bas revealed the tho disobedience and do de i de-i Hanco flanco of law IJ by men in fn high places who has set his faco face firmly against exempting the rich from tho the operation operation opera opera- tion of those laws Jaws that havo have been made for the guidance and the tho control con con- troi of all citizens It is time for men to declare themselves themselves them them- selves seh-es against the gamblers g of ot Wall Wail Wallstreet street who presume to lev levy contrIbution contribution contri contrI- upon the people of the nation and boldly defy tho the power of that nation na na- na tion to control them It is time for every man who values his manhood to utter his declaration that he lie is willing to fight for it This is not the lla day for temporizing It is the tho da day dav for plain speech Wall raH street i shall not dc destroy tro a President who has nat ua asked for a just and even mon enforcement enforcement enforce enforce- ment meat of the law Jaw Th Tb-i Tb unholy rich shall not rule this land They Thoy shall not S mako make and break its laws las at will wm They S shall ot ot tear down doin the splendid fabric of our constitution They must obey the law |
