I am trying to
freshen the old American ideals of self-government for the young men and
women in Plymouth Church. If the whole-hearted support of America's free
institutions involves indirectly a dissent from imperialism and
militarism, I am not responsible. I admit there is a necessary
condemnation of autocracy involved in the mere publication of the
Declaration of Independence. Ours is a Government of laws and not of
men, and I have been discussing the principles of self-government and
not rulers who represent imperialism.
"Neutrality does not mean the wiping out of conviction. There are some
men who think that neutrality means adding God and the devil together
and dividing by two. And there are some statesmen who seem to think that
neutrality means adding together autocracy and democracy, and halving
the result. I do not share that view. I believe it is the first duty of
the German-American and the native-born American to uphold the
fundamental principles of self-government, and of an industrial
civilization as opposed to a military machine, and if this means protest
and criticism, then that protest must be accepted.
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