Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 June 1918 — OUR NATIONAL MISTAKE [ARTICLE]

OUR NATIONAL MISTAKE

While disaffection and disloyalty are at a minimum in this country, still looking into the past we can See a mistake which the country has made that is almost wholly responsible for what of disloyalty exists among American citizens. If when, in spite of the earnest efforts of our government, war was forced upon us, we had accepted the challenge in the right spirit, much misunderstanding might have been averted. We should have accepted the guage of battle as wholly unavoidable. We should have seen, which many of uS did not, that if American institutions were to be maintained, war was the only means of maintaining them. Viewed id this light, there Could be no question as to the duty of every citizen. That duty would have stood out

most plainly—loyalty to one's country and her institutions, or TREASON. . ’ ... Instead of thus accepting the inevitable, however, we in our old American, way at once began to argue and dispute over the right of our government to enter a “foreign'' war; never realizing, in our blindness, that this so-called “foreign’’. war was as much our war as it was any other nation’s. We should have seen that the ultimate object of the effort of Germany was aimed at the vitals o; America that we were singled out for the supreme sacrifice, to be the German banker at the beck and call of her • military despotism, from which she expected ultimately to collect the enormous toll of motfey that the holocause should, cost her. .. ■ - But, as we have stated, we have, been for a year debating as to the rights of bur gcJ.ernnJent, first over the lives and services of our boys, then as to its rights to the services of our money and our property, all the time losing sight of the basic fact that not only did ay that we possess belong to our government in its need, but that we ourselves are but the creatures of that government, without which there would now be no American people as we see them. We lost sight of the fact, to some ex-

that our very first duty is to government, as without it all rights, .privileges and benefits come to nought. # We repeat, what vrn have before stated, we have made the mistake of admitting that the question of 'duty to our government could even admit of debate. The question is not debatable. It is as one-sided as is that of the right or wrong of murder, arson, theft, or any other human transgression. The disloyal man is as-plainly in contempt of law as is the murderer, the thief, or any other criminal, There can he no other view of the question, because in any other view lies- the seeds of anarchy' and the destruction of all law'. And Law r ' is the only force • that earth has yet discovered that will hold nations together. Drive the truth home to every man, that his very citizenship carries with it an imn-bound obligation to render his all. ts demanded, to bis government whenever the -emergency arises. AND THE EMERGENCY HAS ARISEN.