Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 May 1915 — OUR COUNTRY. [ARTICLE]

OUR COUNTRY.

In these days when brute force' seems to hold most of the world in its grasp, we can .hardly emphasize too strongly the idealism for which this country of ours stands. We have recently ' been thinking of the surrender of Lee to Grant fifty years ago. No nobler terms ever offered by a victor to his vanquished foe. There had been four years of bitter warfare. Men all over the north had felt that it was necessary to “make treason odious.” ■There was a strong demand that certain of the leaders of the south Should be hanged. It was felt by not a few that victory would not be complete unless there was some measure of vengeance wreaked on the defeated section. But General Grant realized that there had been

enough bitterness, suffering and sorrow, and so he refused even to humiliate the enemy. The true American spirit was never more splendidly shown than at Appomattox. We remember how the old world, and its very practical statesmen sneered at the mere suggestion that our armies would ever leave Cuba. We had, it is true, promised that they would, but what—such was the question—did such a promise amount to? The men who took this cynical view of course admitted that their governments would, in like case, hold on to conquered territory. Their mistake was in failing to understand what Americanism meant, be drove the Spaniards out, and wefe in full possession of the island, and then we withdrew our own forces, and left the people—with such aid as we could give them-—to set: up their own government. And for sixteen years the republic of Cuba , hafe been a reality. Such was the answer of the idealism of the United States to the taunts of the old World. Nor should it lie forgotten that, after having conqnerqd the Philippines, we paid Spain $20,000,umi, and in. addition paid $7,000,000 for the friar lands. And 1/iter we returned a large part of the Boxer indemnity to China, though we were told by the experts that this action would provoke the contempt rather than elicit the gratitude of China. It is well at this time to dwell on (lie idealism—thus manifested—that is inherent in true Americanism. We are supposed to be the most practical people on earth, and in a sense we are. But we have never ceased to think of ourselves as having a special mission in the world, to which we have, for the most part, been true. We are told every now and then that we must be a world power or have just become a world power, when, as a matter of fact, we have probably influenced the world from the beginning of our career more profoundly than any other nation. We .ire from day to day building a new world in this land, and out of. (he most apparently conflicting elements, it j s an enormous service that tliis nation is performing, —nor is it any easy one. What is it that appeals to men if not our high idealism as embodied in principles and enshrined in and safe-guarded by institutions which we cherish as we do life itself? Love of countr., with Americans does not mean love of our acres, or factories, or wealth, of commerce, or numbers, but rather love of liberty, justice, and equality of opportunity. So our very patriotism is itself idealism, and of the most exalted type.—lndianapolis News.