Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 80, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1919 — The Debt [ARTICLE]

The Debt

By RANDALL PARRISH.

A young fellow came back to our town the other day, struggling along on crutches; he had left one log In France. A friend met him, and said sympathetically: “Fm mighty sorry, Fred, you lost your leg.” The lad looked at him and-entiled. *1 didn’t lose my leg, Charlie,” he replied quietly. “I gave it” That is just what they have been doing, those splendid Is ds of OWB. They have been giving their lege, their arms, their eyes, their very lives, that we might have our homes, ear shops, our farms; that wo might 11T « 18 peace, in prosperity, fa freedom of thought and action. Don’t we owe then anything! Haven’t we a debt unpaid to the dead in France, to the maimed and eripplod, who are coming home from the battle front! That io the appeal of the forthcoming Victory Liberty loan. It hi a debt we owe—to the aviator, who wont crashing down In flames; to the doughboy, who went , cheering over the top through a rain of shrapnel | to the gunner, who foil with the lanyard in his hand.

We can never pay it—no! Money does not work that miracle. Just down the street from here a flag hangs tn the window of a little cottage containing two golden stars. What is my, money, or yours, balanced against the priceless gift of the heart-broken father and mother there? If every man in this town should throw Mb dollar* into the scale, those lives would weigh' the most Cheer and welcome those who roturn; honor their manhood, and thus pay to them, in a small measure, the debt you owe their service. But do not forget those others, Who win hot return —the voiceless dekd. You owe a greater debt to them. They died with faith in you.; HBLV -FINISH THB JOB.** The war In its larger senseis not over, and our dnty to support our soldfers is not over until they are all home. The Victory Liberty Loan is to be used for the purpose of maintaining them overseas as an army of occupation and bringing them back. The Germans, net the Americans, were the quitters, but our work to not finished until we have brought the victors home. Let’s finish the job by oversubscribing the Victory Liberty Loan as we did aR Its predecessors. We may speak of the Victory Liberty Loan as a peace loan or a victory loan, but tn a sense it-ls a memorial loan Sour soldiers -who died on the field battie. Buy Victory Liberty Loan Bonds and help finish the job it took tiW»OjX» M*es to start"