Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 271, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 December 1917 — Page 2

Why America Is Fighting

By JOSEPH W. FOLK.

Now Chief Counsel of die Interstate Commerce Commiuioa

We are at war with Germany because there Is an Irreconcilable conflict between the ideals of this republic and the dominating( purposes of the German autocracy. If our ideals do not prevail, then the German autocracy will prevail over us. . . . We are fighting German* because the success of Germany would mean the end of freedom here and everywhere. America cannot remain free if kaiserism wins.— Joseph W. Folk.

) GOOD American can question the justice of our entering the war with Germany, unless he be ignorant of why we did so. We have viewed for years the

preparations for war being made by Germany, little dreaming that they might concern us, though occasionally there was apprehension as to the ambition of the German rulers to be to the modern world what the Roman rulers were to the world of their time. When the day came for which Germany had been so long preparing she suddenly hurled her tremendous military forces at the adjoining nations Americans read with amazement of the ruthless violation of the rights of neutrals and the reckless disregard of treaty obligations on the part of Germany, but the war In its beginning seemed remote from our affairs and not necessarily to affect American rights. There were advocates of each of the contending nations among us, and a strict neutrality was maintained. The cruel treatment of the conquered and enslaved Belgians excited our sympathy and aroused our resentment, but there was no certainty then that these acts had the approval of the German rulers, so the American republic remained neutral, and the American people hoped against hope that America might not become Involved.

As events followed events and the frightfulness of the German military policy became more and more evident those among us who sympathized with the German cause were little by little alienated. There was still an undercurrent of hope that we might not be drawn into the terrible conflict President Wilson endeavored in every way possible, consistent with the national honor and dignity, to avert the disaster of war. On May 27, 1916, he urged the warring nations to state their peace terms, and pledged that the United States would become a partner in any scheme of lasting peace. The answer of Germany was evasive and unsatisfactory. Then came the sinking of the Lusitania and the wanton murder by drowning of hundreds of noncombatant American men and helpless women and children. This act was so conscienceless and inhuman, so contrary to all the rules of civilized warfare, that a shudder of horror ran throughout the American republic, and the few remaining sympathizers with the German cause saw they coifld no longer continue their friendship for any nation guilty of such deliberate acts of brutality and savagery.

President Was Patient. The demand caine from end to end of the nation to declare war against this monster which was running amuck among the nations. The president, however, was patient. He hesitated to lead the nation into, the awful vortex of war and endeavored to save the national honor without that dire necessity. He wrote a note of protest to the German rulers. They promised they would sink no more merchant ships without warning, and for a time it was thought that the crisis might pass, but it was only a hope to those who realized the German purpose of world domination. The president calmly waited, ignoring the malignant criticism and bitter attacks of some of those who insisted that we could no longer honorably remain out of the conflict. As late as January 22,1917, the president addressed the senate, urging a plan of lasting peace among the nations through international arrangement A few days thereafter it became known that on January 16, 1917, the German rulers had sent a secret note to Mexico and Japan, attempting to' unite them in a war against the United States, and promising to give Mexico in turn a part of the United States. Then Germany notified our government that it would no longer keep its promise not to sink merchant ships without warning. By plain implication it admitted that it had given this promise merely to gain time for preparation for a warfare of hideous, frightfulness. What was to be done? Every effort of diplomacy had been exhausted. American ships were being sunk without warning, the American flag was being insulted and fired upon, American men and women were being butchered, the mailed fist of Germany’s war lord was being shaken at American institutions. German spies invested our country, endeavoring -p. in* cite discontent, strikes, and even civil war. ) It was plain that the German autocracy regarded this republic with contempt, and its entrance or nonentrance Into the war as a matter of indifference. National honor and national safety demanded ithat something should be done. Submission to such wrongs would have been unpardonable national cowardice. Only one thing Could be done, all other means having been exhausted. The American people then realized that, If the German autocracy should overcome the European allies, our turn would be next We had to fight to save our honor, to save our national existence, and to •ave democracy throughout the world,

Former Governor of Missouri.

for democracy and autocracy cannot exist side by side. A state of war was recognized by congress, and thus reluctantly we were brought into the world conflict, after the president had done everything that could fairly be done to avoid the catastrophe. Now that we are in the war we see', with clearer vision, that it was Inevitable that we should go in, for it is our war as much as the war of England and France. It is a.war to preserve our rights and our liberties as much as theirs.

Fight Is Universal. It is now evident to all thinking Americans that Germany must be conquered or else Germany will conquer us along with the rest of the world. There have tyeen many fights for freedom since the beginning of history, but they were merely local, while this is universal. There have been many wars for the liberty of a race, while this war is for the liberty of all mankind. Other wars have been waged to free one people, while this war is not only to keep ourselves free but to make free humanity of every race and of every creed. The outcome will determine whether the world will be all democratic or all autocratic, whether government of the people and by the people shall obtain throughout the earth or shall perish everywhere. We are at war with Germany because there is an irreconcilable conflict between the Ideals of this republic and the dominating purposes of the German autocracy. If our ideals do not prevail, then the German autocracy will prevail over us. We are fighting Germany because of outraged Belgium, invaded and enslaved; because of France, unjustly and barbarously assailed and attacked; because of Russia, just emerging into the light of democracy and just freed from the shackles of tyranny; because of England, from whence came our laws and civilization, and whose early entry into the conflict prevented that victory for

Joseph W. Folk.

German arms which would otherwise have been certain, thus saving us from the terrors of German militarism. We are fighting Germany because the success of Germany would mean the end of freedom here and everywhere. America cannot remain free if kaiserism wins. If Germany should triumph over our European allies, we would have to battle single handed with a victorious Teuton autocracy, determined to conquer and subjugate the world. For 40 years Germany has been building up a military machine, the central thought of which has been 'world domination, and this terrible world calamity of blood and misery is the result of this aim of the German autocracy. I

Outlaw Among Nations. Germany’s method of warfare, in the sinking of merchant ships without warning, in the drowning of helpless women and children, i»> bombarding unfortified cities, in lurking like assassins beneath the waters and in the air, ready'to strike and murder the unarmed, the unsuspecting, and the helpless, has evidenced a savagery and brutality such as the world has never known before. Humanity will find it difficult to forgive and history impossible to forget Germany is the outlaw among the nations, trampling under foot every obligation of international law, threatening every ideal dear to the hearts of freemen; and the world will not be a safe place for liberty until the German autocracy is overthrown and crushed forever. We would have lost’the respect of mankind and our own self-respect had we failed to take up the gauntlet so Insolently thrown in our face by the German rulers. We are fighting for our own freedom and for the freedom of all men during all the years to come. It takes fighting to make the people free and more fighting to keep the people free. We want no conquered territory, we desire no Indemnity. The mission of America in this

* THE EVENING REPUBLICAN. RENSSELAER. INP.

war is to free mankina by enthroning justice and brotherhood in the hearts of men everywhere. We are fighting Germany in order to secure the permanent peace of the world, which is impossible as long as the German military system Is allowed to exists for there can be no enduring peace until further criminal aggressions against the other nations by the German autocracy. have been rendered impossible. The same 'reason which impelled us to enter the war must force us to keep up the war until its objects have been accomplished, for an inconclusive peace now would merely'mean a death struggle later on between American Ideals and an unconquered German autocracy. No Compromise Possible. A truce now would be compromise, and there can be no compromise between liberty and tyranny. A truce now would be surrender, and surrender would *be defeat. James Russell Lowell wrote these words in the long ago, and they come to us the present crisis with a new and deeper meaning:

Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side. ... Hast thou chosen, O my people. In whose party thou shall stand, Ere the doom from its worn sandals shakes the dust against our land? Careless seems the great avenger; history’s pages but record One death struggle in the darkness ’twlxt old system and the word. Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne, Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own. List the ominous stern whisper from the Delphic cave within, "They enslave their children’s children who make compromise with sin." Before we entered the war Americans had a right to be neutral as between other nations. Now that we are in, no American can be neutral. The American who is neutral now is guilty of treason to the Republic. The American who is not for his country in this war must be counted as against his country. Whatever our internal differences may have been, in such a time as this we must be one people, loyal to a common country and devoted to a common flag.

Must Support Armies. Millions of America’s sons have answered to the nation’s call. They should have the full support of heart and soul and spirit of all American men add women, for, in the name of America and in behalf of America, they are going forth to battle in order that American honor may be sustained, American freedom preserved, to make the world safe for the common man, and to make International justice supreme. The withholding of such support by any individual or organization is disloyalty to the government and treason to the flag. This is the supreme hour in the life of this republic and the world. A new economic and social order is emerging in every land and a new internationalism is being produced by the blood and suffering of mankind. The ending of the great war, in the only way that it can rightly end, will mark the beginning of a new epoch of world cooperation for the advancement of the common good. The public will no longer be the people of one section or of one nation, but all mankind and the principles of humanity will then be applied between nations as they have long been applied between individuals. And why not? The inventions of the past few years that have annihilated time and space and brought distant parts of the earth in touch with each other have created new obligations in the relations of the nations. The civilized countries are nearer together in point of time and communication than were the states of this Union a century ago. No nation can live to itself and for itself alone. The time of the hermit nation is past. Rule of Right May Come. Men now living may see the day when the world will be ruled by right instead of might, by justice instead of selfishness. Men now living may see the time when the ideal of public right will be supreme throughout the world. Out of-the black clouds of wai 1 that now envelop the earth may come a greater realization of the necessity for an international court of arbitration, with power to enforce its decrees. Then will dawn that day foretold of old, following the last great battle of the world, when there will be peace on earth and good will in the hearts of the children of mejn. The mission of America is to educate the world to this desired consummation. To fulfill tills mission there must be loyalty and devotion to the ideals of America among the people of America. The democracy that we grp fighting for is the religion of brotherhood among men; the religion that says, “Thou shalt not lie ; thou shalt not steal;” the religion that demands the application of the Golden Rule in public and private life everywhere; the religion that does not array Class against class but preserves the rights of all ’by causing each to respect the rights of the other; that equalizes conditions, not by dragging down thosa who are up but by lifting up those w < ’io are down; that does not attack wealth honestly acquired, but wages unending war against conditions that create poverty; that protects property rights, but recognizes the. fact that property rights should never be Inconsistent with human rights; that seeks more government by the people, not less government by the people; that gives to each man an equal opportunity to live and to labor upon the earth that God has given to all, and to enjoy untrammeled and unrestricted the gains of honest toll; the religion that means more of service and less of selfishness.

BRITISH WOUNDED SEW FOR SYRIANS.

Convalescent British soldiers quartered in Egypt spend much of their time sewing for the destitute Syrians of Palestine, under the instruction of women of the English V. A. D. A group is shown in the courtyard of the old royal palace.

MESS COOK THE BIG MAN OF ARMY

Even Company Officers Have to Be Considerate to the New Autocrat. NOBODY “BAWLS HIM OUT” Any Kicks or Grumbling Against the Worst Cook Are Made in Private and Out of His Earshot — Word Is Final. Field Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces, France. —“Who s the great hero in the estimation of the privates in the American army?” asks the man interested in th<T psychology of soldiering. “The commanding general, or course,” Interrupts his companion, annoyed at the apparently foolish question. “Naw r not him. I ain’t never seen him even,” replies a private, kicking his hobnailed shoes into the turf. “Your captain, then,” suggests the wise friend, coming down several pit Tiles. “Aw, he’s all. right and we’re always there to salute him, but there s others,” says the private. "“How about your top sergeant, a veteran ‘noncom’ with rough talk and a strong right?” asks the friend, losing confidence. “We’re all for him, but there’s others just as good as him too/’ insists the private. “Put us next, who’s the boss of the company?” the first questioner insists. “The cook, who else?” chorus half a: dozen. That’s the hero —the company cook, writes Junius B. Wood, in the Chicago Dally News. The cook may be hot and grouchy, his uniform greasy and his eyes red from smoke, but he is the most respected man in the mess. That Is, if he is a good cook. Even if he isn’t a good cook, indeed is a very poor cook, which is unusual for our army, nobody “bawls him out” to his face as they might even do to a sergeant major who isn’t much of a scrapper. Any kicks or grumbling against even the worst cook are made in private and out of his earshot. ' “Say, cook, gimme another helpin’ of the ‘slum gullion?’” asks a soldier, coming up with his tin mess kit scoured clean with a hunk of bread of all traces of the first helping of stew. “No seconds, tonight,” replies the mess sergeant. “Aw, fie a good fellow, I’m nearly starved,” begs the soldier. “Nothin’ doin’, some of the fellows haven’t got here yet, beat it.” i V ■ Mess Cook Is Boss. American soldiers are always hupgry and a stand-in wltji the mess cook is equivalent to one “with the landlady’s daughter if you want the second piece of pie.” He is the company autocrat.

STARS AND STRIPES CHEERED IN PARIS

Paris. —The Stars and Stripes, still stir up big demonstrations of enthusiasm In the French captalk, even though months have elapsed since the United States entered the war. The grand finale at the Folles Bergere the other night brought out the flags and national anthems of the allied nations ft la George Cohan. The British colors and “God Save the King brought a demonstration and a large number in the audience rose to their feet. The Italian, Belgian, Roumanian, Serbian, Russian and Portuguese flags all brought applause. Uncle Sam had the big place in the tableaux. When a pretty girl strode on the stage waving the Stars and Stripes and the orchestra swung into "The Star Spangled Banner” the house went mad. A Canadian soldier proposed three cheers for the Yanks. -Uncle Sam received an ovation that would have gladdened the hearts of Americans '

Anybody who has suddenly dropped into a strange company about mess time knows that the chances of dining well, though he may be obliged to squat on the ground, hold the mess plate in one hand and feed with the other, are better if the first call is made on the mess sergeant than if it is made on the captain. The captain possibly eats off a table made out of an old box. Certain formalities, however, are observed among officers. The captain may not always volunteer as host, and it is not good form to invite yourself. “Say, sarg, any chance of bumming some chow?” is a good formula. “Al w ays can serape the old pan for a hungry man,” is his usual reply. “Don’t want to crowd you, and I haven’t a mess kit either,” you say. “Guess I’ve got an extra one around. I’ll fix you up all right," he says, and you eat. The American army eats well but It figures closely. Rations are drawn for exactly the number of men and the exact number of days that they are to eat. It is up to the mess sergeant and his cooks to see that everybody gets his share of everything and that nothing is left over. That means close figuring with only his eyes and a big spoon to measure by. For each infantry company of 204 men there are a mess sergeant and three cooks. Under the old -organization there were a sergeant and three cooks for a company of 153 men and officers. The way it works out up to a brigade unit is:

Bat- RegiCompany. tallon ment. Brigade. Officers and men.2o4 766 2,736 6,491 Mess sergeants... 1 4 14 28 Cooks ? H ?? 9n Rolling kitchens.. 1 4 la j “0 Ration wagons... 1 4 28 58 In the field-, officers eat the same food as the men. If they want to purchase some extra dainties that Is their affair. Any man can do the same. The government issues sugar for the coffee, and jam or preserves or dried fruit. At mess time, the men, each carrying his kit, line up in front of the kitchen. As the line passes along, the sergeant dishes up the stew and beans or other vegetables, one of the cooks doles out the bread, another fills the coffee mugs and the third is sweltering over the fire. After all the men have been served, the sergeant fills the officers’ tin dishes and carries them to where they are waiting. That is all the extra service they get. It is the same with the marines. It is a wise government regulation. The officer knows what food the men are getting, for he has the same.

MISTAKE FISH FOR U-BOATS

Submarine Chasers Spend Much of Their Time Chasing After Blackfish. Cleveland, O.—A great percentage of the U-boats sighted by merchant ships going through the submarine zone are just healthy, deep-sea-going blackfish on their way to dinner engagements. That is why all submarine chasers spend much of their time chasing fish mistaken for submarines. Lieut. Howard Vickery, home on furlough, expressed that opinion. And Vickery ought to know, for his chaser cruised 23.000 miles after the German sea terrors. His ship is in dry dock now and he has a few days’ furlough. “The U-boats do not bother the American sailors half as much as the mines,” he said. “Many torpedoed ships are lost,” he continued, “when they might have been saved, because their skippers steam frantically ahead after being hit until their own speed causes the water to rush in so fast that all the air-tight bulkheads are caved in.”

Had Tooth When Born.

Oneida. N. Y.— A daughter has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Louis R. North of No. 118 Madison street. The baby had one tooth at the hour of its birth, this being the first instance, ft is believed, where a child has been born in this city with a portion of tts teeth equipment. Pr. N. O. Brooks removed the tooth. > ' „ Twin bascule bridges, each section of which is operated by electric motors, have been erected oyer the arm of a European harbor. 1

CLUB FOR SOLDIERS

Americans Find Comfort in British “Blighty Corner.” Is Conducted by Women and Has All Facilities of an Up-to-Date s Club. Paris. —One place which many American soldiers visit in Paris is the British “Blighty Corner,” offically known as the “Foyer du Soldat Anglais.” It Is conducted by a group of English and American women as a place where Canadian, Australian and New Zealand soldiers who cannot go home for their ten days’ leave may find a welcome. It has all the facilities of an up-to-date club, with perhaps a little more of the air of “home” than an ordinary club. Tea is served every afternoon to all comers by the wives of British officers and there is every afternoon and evening a program of music and -entertainment.

“My visit has given me much pleasure,” wrote the prince of Wales in the visitors’ book. “Ditto,” wrote the duke of Connaught. On the occasion of the duke of Connaught’s visit the cheers of the Canadian soldiers were so lusty as to offend the ears of some of the residents of a fashionable hotel in the Place Vendome nearby. They filed a complaint with the police, but the police replied: “They are authorized to make as much noise as they please. The British soldiers were not told to make less noise when they blew up the mines at Messines.” Twice a week the men at “Blighty Corner” are taken to visit the old corners of Paris. An interesting incident occurred this week when a party visited the Church of Jeanne d’Arc. The priest presented them with souvenir medals representing Joan of Arc. “But there are only three Catholics among them,” he was told. “It does not mat-, ter,” replied the broad-minded priest. “They all serve the same Master and General.”

“SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE”

The photo shows American soldiers cleaning up in a village “Somewhere in France.”

TRAIN OVER SLEEPING BABY

Infant Near Ocean City, Del., Was Unhurt and Began to Cry When Picked Up. Whaleyville, Del.—Asleep in the middle of the railroad track, a 2-year-old girl escaped Injury when a fast train bound to Ocean City passed over it. The train, running about 60 miles an hour, was in charge of Engineer L. H. Wallace. He did not notice the child until only a few feet away. Brakes were applied, and the trainmen ran back and picked up little Annie Kosh, fully dressed and sound asleep, lying face downward. The child had to be awakened and immediately began to cry. Not a scratch was found on her, notwithstanding the fact that a locomotive and five coaches had passed over her. The child was a member of one of the families working In a canning factory near Mardela.

MINE FIELDS MENACE NORWAY

Ownership of Drifting Agents of Destruction Is Matter of Doubt. Christiana. —Drifting mine fields are reported along the whole Norwegian coast from Listerland eastward. Off Hallo, 20 mines were seen drifting north/to Christiana fjord, jmd from Halvo many explosions have been heard. The drifting mine fields are surrounded by a mass of drifting wreckage. Norwegian motor boats have salved many casks of wine, margarine and whale oil. The ownership of the drifting mine fields is a matter of doubt. Certainly nobody is anxious to claim them, for they do not' Conform to the rules of The Hague convention, which prescribes that mines shall be so constructed that they become harmless when adrift.