Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-09-08
AN INTERESTING CA
madam WAR Letter
What a Private Citizen Of That
Country Has to Say Of the
Conflict in Europe.

aQa, IN the course or letter 10 II
B. Hummel of this city, talks enter
tainingly of the war in Europe and
of the relations of Canada to the
great conflict. This is the company
for which Mr.. H. works and the
views of one of its officers will be
read with interest. He says:
You might be interested to learn
something Of the conditions in this
country on account Of our being
mixed up, even if secondhand, in
the present deplorable war in Eur
ope. During the past two weeks
troops have passed through here
to the mobilization camp near the
city of Quebec, numbering about
$4,000. These are all volunteers,
for no man, enlisted or otherwise, is
compelled to go outside of this coun-
try. All our bridges are manned
with soldiers, canals, store houses,
elevators; in fact, this country is
on a war footing. We expect, prob
ably, to send another contingent of
$4,000 men, and perhaps in the end
it will be necessary to send 100000,
the feeling in this country being
that the British Empire, having
been dragged into this thing as
point of honor, all it's associate
countries or dominions will stay
with it until the job is finished. Re-
verses will be had; they are being
had already, for it is recognized
here and elsewhere, that Germany
has the finest fighting machine of
the world and that she was already
mobilized and ready to strike. We
feel, too, in this country, with all
due regard to the French, that they
are not the stayers that the Anglo
Saxons are. They are fiashy, tenn
peramental, excitable, dashing fell
lows who will put up wonderful
fight at the start, but they cannot
stand to be licked like those of An
glo-Saxon blood. OF course, as far
as England is concerned, as long as
her navy is intact, there will be no
invasion and everybody in this coun-
try and in other parts of the empire,
has absolute confidence in the pow
er of the navy. In fact, the navy
has done one of the most wonder
full pieces of work in history to date,
namely, that after two weeks after
war has been declared, the oceans
of the world have been practically
cleared of the. enemy's ships, with
the result that our ocean liners are
going from here with people and
produce just as though there was no
war on. One member Of this firm is |
now on the ocean returning from
London, coming back on schedule
time. Letters from London state
one would not know that war was
on. The people are going about
their business. The soldiers are pour
ing out to nobody knows where, but
those in authority. Personally,
agree with your statement regard
ing Russia. There is no doubt about
it the bigger the role she plays in
this war, the bigger she will loom
in the future and, 1 am afraid, as
menace, but the thing that has got
to be crushed now is not the Ger
man people but the militarism of
that country. The sentiments of the
people in this country are not
against the German people. We have
many of them in the country, as
there are in the states, and they are
a fine people. It is the system un-
der which they have been govern
ed.
OF course, this war is affecting
business, in some lines especially.
With us, we don't find any change
at all. In the end, though, it IS go
ing to be the greatest thing for both
Canada and the United States that
could ever happen. 1t seems incred-
ible, that in this day Of enlighten-
ment that such a bloody war would
take place, but there is one bright
spot in it and that is It cannot help
but assure a restricting Of arma-
ments and be a step in the direction
of universal peace, to which we all
look forward and which is absolute
ly feasible. There is another thing |
about it to my mind and that is it !
Will be the beginning of the end Of
monarchies-probably both absolutei
and limited and that the nations