The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1915-12-16

| ont ~ gr1et ffee ufoo1n aocAs
/ piled some Of The best and ee
elemeAts ~ that lfttl4 buk kOM lp
nation that In ! hishs day q "a
~ 10Y life to fres ITSELF frou u
entanel9ment that had darkene9
Ifortun6t pf the older nakinns and ~
up ! 1aW standard here That
Of such a 1g1ns and such froo cho1c1e
Of AliegfAnoe would ever tufA III
mont and people who had weloome6
and nurtured them and seak 70 ul4lne
this proud country onoe more = hoeS
bed 81 European pas@ion. A nt4lD
while ago such thing would have,
seemed Incredible. Because 4 800
incredible W made mo preparation
Tor; It. We would have bean almost
ashamed to prepare for It, - 4 ~
we're suspicious Of ourselves, our own
comrades and neighbors. But the
ugly and Incredible thing has actual
~ come about and we are without
adequate federal laws to deal with II
laurge you 10 enact such laws at the
earliest possible moment and feel that
in doing SO am urging you to do
nothing less than save the honor and
self-respect Of the nation. Such crear
lures OF passion. disloyalty. aad an
archy must be crushed out They aro
not many. but they are infinitely
malignant, and the hand Of our power
should close over them at once. They
have formed plots to destroy property.
they have entered into conspira0ies
against the neutrality Of the govern
ment. they have sought to pry into
every confidential transaction 81 tho
government in order to serve Interests
alien to our own. It II possible to
deal with these things very etfectually.
/ need not suggest the terms In which
they may be dealt with.
Arc Disgrace to the Nation.
I wish that It could be said that
only few men. misled by mistaken
sentiments Of allegiance to the govern
ments under which they were born,
had been guilty Of disturbing the self.
possession and misrepresenting the
temper and principles of the country
during these days OF terrible war,
when 1t would seem that every man
who was truly an American would
instinctively make it his duty and his
pride to keep the scales of judgment
even and prove himself 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 United States
and calling themselves Americans,
have 90 forgotten themselves and
their honor "a citizens N to put their
passionate sympathy with one or the
other side in the great European con-
fiict above their regard for the peace
and dignity of the United States. They
also preach and practice disloyalty.
No laws. l suppose. can reach cor
ruptfons of. the mind and heart; but I
should not speak of others without
also speaking Of these and expressing
the even deeper humiliation and scorn !
which every self-p0ssessed and
patriotic American must
feel when he thinks Of them and Of
the discredit they are daily bringing
upon US.
While we speak of the preparation
Of the nation to make sure OF her
and her effective power We
must not fall into the patent error Of
supposing that her real strength
comes from ornaments and mere safe
guards of written law.
What is more important IL, that the
and resources of the coun-
try should be available and ready for
The transportation problem Is an
serious and pressing one ,
in this country. There has from
time to time of late been reason
to fear that our railroads would
not much longer be able to cope with
It successfully. as at present equipped
and co-ordained. suggest that Il y.
would be wise to provide for q COM
mission of inquiry to ascertain BY .
canvass of the whole ques- :,
ton whether our laws ~ at present
framed and administered are ~ sery-
iceable as they might be In the solu-
ton of the problem. It 10 Obviously .
problem that lies at the very founda-
ton Of our efficiency ~ people, Such
IN inquiry ought to draw out every
and opinion worth coa.
and Va need to know III sidee
Of the matter II We mean to do any
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