No man should draw a pistol who dares not shoot. The government that shakes its fist first and its finger after its deadly weapon falls into contempt, may say that the words of our diplomatic notes were justified; men may say that our inaction was justified, but no man can say that both were wise and creditable.
I have said that this government lost the moral forces of the world by not truly interpreting the spirit of the American democracy.
The American democracy stands for something more than beef and cotton and grain and manufactures; stands for something that cannot be measured by rates of exchange and does not rise fall with the balance of trade. The American people, informed by their own experience that is confirmed by their observation of international law, have come to see that the independence of nations, the liberty of their peoples, justice and humanity cannot be maintained upon the complaisance, the good nature, the kindly feeling of the strong toward the weak; that real independence, real liberty, cannot rest upon suffrage; that peace and liberty can be preserved only by the authority and observance of rules of national conduct founded upon the principles of justice and humanity: only by the establishment of law among nations, responsive to the enlightened public opinion of mankind. To them liberty means not liberty for themselves alone, but for all who are oppressed. Justice means not justice for themselves alone, but a shield for all who are weak against the aggression of the strong. 