River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-12-09
Must Be Crushed Out.


Such creatures Of passion, disloyalty
and anarchy must be crushed out. They
are not many, but they are infinitely ma
lignant and the hand Of our power should
close over them at once. They have
formed plots to destroy property, they
have entered into conspiracies against the
neutrality of the government, they have
sought to pry into every confidential
transaction of the government in order
to serve interests alien to our own. 1t is
possible to deal with these things very
effectualIy. I need not suggest the terma
in which they may be dealt with.
wish that it could be said that only a
few men, misled by mistaken sentiments
of allegiance to the governments under
which they were born had been guilty Of
disturbing the self-possession and miSrep-
resenting the temper and principles OF
the country during these days of terrible
war, when it would seem that every man
who was truly an American would in
stinctiveIy make it his duty and his pride
to keep the scales of judgment even and
prove himself a partisan of no nation but
his own. But it cannot. There are some
men among US, and many resident abroad
who, though born and bred in the Unit
ed States and calling themselves Amer
leans, have so forgotten themselves and
their honor as citizens as to put their
passionate sympathy with one or the 9TH
er side in the great European conflict
above their regard for the peace and dig
nifty of the United States They also
preach and practice disloyalty. No Jaws.
suppose, can reach corruptions of the
mind and heart; but I should not speak
OF others without also speaking of these
and expressing the even deeper humilia-
ton and scOrn which every self-possessed
and thoughtfully patriotic American must
feel when he thinks Of them and Of the
discredt they are daily bringing upon US.
Transportation Problem.
The transportation problem is an ex-
ceedingly serious and pressing one in this
country There has from time to time
of late been reason to fear that our rail
roads would not much longer be able to
cope with it successfully as at present
equipped and co-ordinated. I suggest
that it would be wise to provide for a
commission of inquiry to ascertain by a
thorough canvass of the whole question
whether our laws as at present framed
and administered are as serviceable as
they might be in the solution of the prob
lem. 1t is obviously problem that lies
at the very foundation of our efficiency
as a people. Such an inquiry ought to
draw out every circumstance and opinion
worth considering and we need to know
all sides Of the matter If we mean to
do anything in the field Of federal legisla-
ton.
For what we are seeking now, what in
my mind is the single thought of this
message, is national efficiency and Sc
curity We serve a great nation. We
should serve it in the spirit of it's peculiar
genius. It is the genius of common men
for government, industry, justice, lib
erty and peace. We should see to it that
it lacks no instrument, no facility or vigor
Of law, to make it sufficient to play its
mart with energy safety and aSgI1raH
success. In this we are no partisans but
heralds and rrnnhets Of q new age