The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1915-09-22

people hope and pray for peace for
ourselves and for the stricken ma
tions Of Europe. We abhor war, and
we have condemned this particular
war as the worst and most wicked OF
all wars.
Eve have sorrowed for the sol
diers of our own Caucasian race
slain by the thousands-yea, by mil
lions-upon the field of battle. We
have grieved for wretched wives made
widows and for helpless orphans
thrown upon a world made brutal
and barren by war. We have be.
moaned the accumulated wealth OF
ages ,ruthlessly destroyed, the treas
ures of art and architecture reck.
lessly demolished, the very founda,
lions of Occidental civilization and
religion weakened, it not wrecked
by the fury and frenzy of. this fratri-
cidal conflict. =, r.
eve have gone into our churches
or unto the sanctuaries of our homes
and prayed to God to restore peace
on earth and revive good will among
men.
1--WE have besought God to preserve
our race, to protect our civilization
to conserve the wealth and treasurer
of the world for the world, to end
this needless, endless sorrow and
slaughter, desolation and destruction.
"And God has heard our prayer.
He has created a situation which is
a supreme test of our sincerity. He
has made it come to pass that this
war cannot continue unless we who
have prayed for peace shall supply
the arms and the money to protract
the war.
"What shall we do?
"Shall we go back into our
churches and unto the sanctuaries of
our homes and say: Lord, when we
prayed for peace we had not consid-
cred the financial side of the situa-
ton. We had not figured up the
profit we might make out of further
bloodshed.
eve had not estimated the in
come on the guns and shells to kill
our brothers in Europe or the in
terest on the loans to continue the
war. We had not thought of the
dollars that could be gained in MAX
ing orphans and widows, of the
money that might be minted out of
the tears of the weeping mothers.
Lord, God, we thought we wanted
peace, but that was before we bal
anced up our books. We thought
we wanted peace, but we found that,
like Judas Iscariot, we needed the
money.
"Citizens of the United States,
must we say this? Must we retract
all our prayers, renounce all our
principles?
LET us hope not, for if we dc
speak thus and act thus it would
probably be better for us if we had
never been born.
1--WE have coined money out OF
evil before and paid the bitter pen
atty. Many an American dollar was
made by bringing hapless negroes
into this country and trafficking in
them as slaves.
"The Yankee traders brought
them and made money for them
selves; the Southern planters bought
them and made money for them
selves. Each laid up abundance of
treasure on earth and and abundance
of retribution in heaven.
''The sins of the father shall be
visited upon the children even unto
the third and fourth generation. And
in due time the red life blood of
atonement was shed for every black
and furnished dollar as evilly gained:
"Shall we again accumulate an
evil hoard and invite a cruel retri-
button? ~.
"Shall we not rather take advan-
tage of the power and opportunity
which God has placed in our hands
and end this hideous war, which is
a menace to the progress and pros
perity of all the world and to that
continued domination of the white
race which should be a blessing and
benefit to all the world? ,-z+s
us there not both moral satisfac-
ton and material advantage in the
righteous course? 49,. s5
"Shall we not make peace while
power is in our hands, and rely for
our reward upon Him, who said:
BLESSED are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called the children
of Cod" ...... ...-. Ii - III
William Randolph Hearst.