Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-05-28
65L euoqd

Il little No; mol We have been pre-,
pairing TO tell You something up to this
very minute, War-the war raging in
Europe; IN fact any aud every war, as
such, nullities and uamples ON each and
every one of these 'rights of man .,
rights, our Declaration says, as
malienable.
Wars first element is the killing OF
people. II is understood that, Of
course, soldiers may be killed. But in
war a great many are killed who never
were soldiers The soldiers, themselves,
may not wish TO kill women and chill
dren, but there is thousand ways in
which their lives may be destroyed.
Worse than the deaths that come from
| the weapons Of the Soldier are the
deaths that come from the famines and
! diseases that follow war. You may
think that your right to life is Gin.
allonable, but II y0u are in ''tho zone
Of war You may any minute find
that you have made a fatal fhtnke
We have spoken Of "liberty." Do
y"l know of any "libcrty' that is con
codcd TO n soldier in the time of wnrl
When we Of the G, A. X, were soldiers
wc had to give mp for a time all busi.
ness enterprise. The men who stayed
az home got three or -four times az
much wages as we did; aud some Of
them bought a. . fraction of their
w"th, the pigs aud chickens Of the war
widow who found herself 20 pnched
She had to sell something to keep her
children fed and clothed.
Today IT we saw 1T 10 put up the
money, we might take trip to New
YORK or TO Honolulu. Then we went
whore we were todd, aud when we were
told, aud did what we were told. Some.
times somebody was in our ay, aud
then somebody got hurt, and II WASH I
always the man on the other side Of
the line. That is the "llbcrtyn Of
the soldier 10 cut Others 10 pieces, or
bc himself cut 10 pieces, TO kin or 10 be
Killed, Aud there are twenty millions
Of men IN Europe today getting what
enjoyment they can ont of that kind
Of "libcrty.
And "thc pursuit Of happiness. one
day, under the guns O. fort down
south, soldier asked his ncighbor.
" Wouldn I YOU rather be nj home with
your girl Does II seem strange 10
rou that there was no argument on
that question: The old song has II,
"lhc dearest spot on earth to mo, is
home, sweet home ~
We feb that way when wc were in
the army, we fell 80 yet; and the
twenty millions across the water think
70 today A vast number Of them will
never get back 10 their homes, bul
what is worse, It possible, vast mul
tltude Of those who live thrugh the
struggle will go home wrecked and
ruined u body, or mind, on both, Ia
hr lfo long burden TO ihemsclyo.
land others Not less than million of
| our comrades came home mnimod, ol
otherwise injured, - suffer thcrcir0u
to the end OF their days. q, war; war
There i-n 2 one OF tho interests of hu
'maniy, Of any Kind whatsoever, there
isn't one OF tho finer feelings or in
s'urts Of humanity but war tmmploI
on It without mercy War a barbar
I Imi IL is au utter disgrace tu human
|ity itself
But YOU answer You q. A. u. mei
went 10 wari and You glory in you
military service. Yes, wo went q,
war, aud some OF us, at least, wouldn
|laNo that military experience rocalc,
for million dollars, II such were pos
ublr DO you wish 10 lum whyl
We believed that this nation ouph
TO be- ones that this territory ought Il
Boz under one flag; that if would be- bes
for The millions then living that
should bc 800, and that ii would be- a
Iimmrasuable disaster tn the comm
generations 10 the country should b
divided.
We were not asked 10 fight fop
eipn enemy Our country was not ii
yadcl, or threatened with inyasIo
from abroad Some OF DOR fellow cit
lens were trying 20 divide tho uatul
| There was no natural boundary b,
tween the states called the North
and those called the South. " Th
boundary would have 10 be o ,mpI
line mn by surveyor On the 9th,
| side they proposed 70 keep lacn !
slavery Once in o while one OF thos
slaves wHll escape 10 our side OF th