American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-06-17
of the Teutons.

that of the Teutons.
Let a man be attacked in his house
by a half dozen ~cut-throats bent upon
taking his life, stealing his property,
outraging his women. and he will fight
In any way and with any weapons he
can. Practices which could not be
~countenanced under the conditions OF
a fair fight may then become PERMITS
sible. Such is the position which the
people of Germany consider that they
occupy today.
Great as was the wrong lone us by
Germany in taking the lives of more
than a hundred of our citizens Il is in
conceivable to me that we should go
10 war with Germany under existing
conditions. There IN no honor 10 be
indicated by fighting with that nation
now. What satisfaction would there
De IN attacking a man who had I'M red
you "heh ne was engaged III a - ana
ueatb strusle, with four enemies?
unquestionably we must force Ger
many to make such r~eparation as is In
her power and If she refuses we should
make war upon her, but not now
There should be a certain chiyalrv
among nations which would prohibit us
from forcing the issue at this time
Let Germany conclude this matter that
now engages her attention and then n
she refuses the fullest satisfaction let
MS take her ON alone.
80
We Americans are fond of pridiny
ourselves upon our humanity. A prop
er appreciation of the ~sacredness of
human LIE may be said to be the dis
tnguished mark of our civilization.
and believing ourselves to be the great
est nation IN the world with the high
est c~lViiization, we plume ourselves
constantly with u national ideals.
and at this crisis we lecture Germany
upon her failure to conduct this great
struggle for existence in the most hu-
name manner possible. Our president
III his secon and most admirable note
to Berlin, lays considerable stres upon
the point.
TO get down to brass lacks, however.
how much humanity can Germany see
In our tremendous trade In munitions
OF war? A late issue of the Indepen-
lent mentions n order placed by Rus
STA for 500, OO0, 900 worth of sharpnel!
The same issue commented on a con-
tract for $780, 600, 900 worth awarded in
Canada, four-fifths of which was to be
distributed among American makersl
A new despatch recently contained
the information that one of the best
known American arms factories had
Deen purchased by a syndicate and
would be Used In filling an immense
contract for military rifles placed here
by one of the allied governments. On
the assumption that 1t costs the aIlies
$4,000 to kill a German, we Americans
have contracted for the blood of no
less than $4,000! And the war is in its
first veal
1t should be understood that there ia
nothing illegal In this traffic. Ourl
treaty with Prussia specifically recog-
nizes the right. 1t Is countenanced by
the usages OF international law. Yet
every other civilized country In the
world today has placed an absolute en-
barge upon the traffic In munitions of
war with all of the belligerents.
In the imense SUPPLIES of arms, am
munition. motor cars. soldiers equip
hhShe, anu pIOFlblOHb WHICH the
allies daily draw from America lies
their great hope of winning this war.
The struggle is so vast and so fiercely
sustained on almost 1000 miles of bat
tie lines that 1t is becoming i%ncreas-
ingly a struggle between the power and
cannon makers of the c%ontending pow
ers. Russia's terrible defeat In Galicia
was not due to lack of men, but to lack
OF powder! Her inability TO properly
munition the ID armies of the grand
duke cost her a half million of her bra
vest sons and the fruits of conquest
won In nine months of bloody war.
Under these conditions never before
anticipated, and quite unparalleled in
history, the Germans may reasonably
allege that American traffic in arms
amounts TO a direct interference IN the
great wal on the side of the allies and