I do not pretend，I do not think anybody who has ever studied the history of the past or has looked with impartial eyes upon the present，which will soon be history，for a moment deceives himself with the idea that democracy is an easy form of government.Gentlemen，it is the only form of government，but it is not an easy form of government.It has inherent difficulties；it has always had them，it always will have them；and I am not sure that every race is gifted enough to surmount these difficulties.That the great countries that represent western civilization not only can overcome these difficulties，but have largely overcome them already，I think is assured.But do not let us imagine that the task，however successfully it may have been accomplished up to the present time，is one which does not require our constant efforts lest，where failure is easy，failure should occur.After all，when Germanmilitarism laid it down，as it has always laid it down，that democracy is not capable either of a farsighted policy or of vigorous coordinated effort，it made a great blunderbut it made a blunder for which there is some excuse.They have recognized how hard has always been found，not now particularly but always，the task of managing a great community of free men and directing and concentrating all their efforts and all their sacrifices，at any given moment，upon one great object.That can be done，no doubt，simply and effectively，by a military autocracy.It can be done more easily；it can in appearance，（though I think only in appearance）be done much more effectively.But when democracy sets itself to work，when it really takes the business in hand，I hold the faith most firmly that it will beat all the autocracies in the world.But it will not beat them easily；it will not beat them without effort；it will not beat them unless it is prepared to forego，temporarily it may be，those divisions which，in a sense，are the very life blood of a free，vigorous，and rapidly developing community.That is the paradox and the difficulty which lies at the root of democracy.You cannot have a democracy without a collision of opinionsat least I think not.You cannot have a democracy without parties，because parties are，after all，but the organization of a difference of opinion，and the paradox and the difficulty of democracy is how this normal，and this healthy habit，is to be got over when，in moments of great national crises，the efforts of every section and every party must be subordinated to one overmastering purpose.
I am addressing a body of responsible statesmen whoknow how institutions are practically worked，who get their knowledge，not from books，but from experience；and they are the best audience in the world for dealing with matters which perhaps may seem to you too abstract to be proper subjects of discussion on such an occasion as this.But I，who have seen the democracy of the Homeland at work since the beginning of the war，who have then had the happy opportunity of seeing on this continent another great democracy girding itself for the struggle to which it is now finally committed，and who have the inestimable privilege of meeting this gathering of my fellow countrymen in the greatest of our selfgoverning Imperial elementsI who have had these advantages am deeply impressed both with the power of a democracy to overcome the difficulties of which I speak，and of the necessity for its overcoming them.I suppose you have your difficulties，as undoubtedly the United States has had its difficulties，and as most assuredly we in the Motherland have had our difficulties.If those difficulties seem at any given moment to be hard to overcome，do not for a moment let your faith fail you.You are worthy representatives of those principles of constitutional freedom which in their modern developments are the invention of the British race，and which，on the whole，have been practised with at least as much success by the British race as by any other race in the world.
That Canada is with the Allies through all difficulties to a final and triumphant conclusion of this great conflict is the message which you，Mr.Speaker of the House of Commons，and you，Mr.Speaker of the Senate，have askedme to convey to the Motherland.In the truth of that message I firmly believe.I know that the democracies of the old world as well as of the newwhether they belong to the British Empire，or are outside of it；whether they speak the English language，or the language of other free nationswill come out of this struggle not merely triumphant in the military sense，not merely conquerors where victory is essential to civilization，but strengthened in their own inner life；more firmly convinced that the path of freedom is the only path to national greatness；and with the lesson fully learned that patriotism will always overcome the dangers and difficulties inherent to a democratic constitution，and that the strength which is derived from having behind efforts the consent of a free people is greater than all the strength that can be secured by the most elaborate，the most tyrannical，and the most well thoughtout system of military despotism.
I most gratefully thank you for having listened to me.I shall carry back from this meeting the message which has been entrusted to me by the Speaker of the House of Commons and by the Speaker of the Senate.And I shall do more；for I hope，however imperfectly，to convey to my friends in the Motherland the tidings that the spirit which animates their children here is not less ardent，not less resolute，not less firmly devoted to the achievement of a final victory than that by which they themselves are animated.
