Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-08-26

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Jackson Bros.-Adv
warfare it is the widest nonsense to
talk of men spripging to arms in mass
unless they have been taught how to
act in mass and how TO use the arms
TO which they spring. For 13 months
America has played an ignoble part
among the nations. We have tamely
submitted to seeing the weak, whom
we have covenanted to protect,
wronsed. We have seen our own men,
women and children murdered on the
high seas without action on our part.
During this time our nation has not
taken the smallest step in the way Of
preparedness to defend our own rights.
Yet these 13 months have made evident
the lalnentable fact that force is more
dominant now in the affairs of the
world than ever before; that the most
powerful Of modern military nations
is utterly brutal and ruthless in it's
disregard Of international morality.
and that righteousness divorced from
force is utterly futile. 81 .,..
! dollar toward your direct expenses
IpaSmuch as we as nation have
done nothing Whatever for nation
al defense during the past 10
months. the time when during all
our history it was most necessary
10 prepare for self defense, it is we'll
that private individuals should have
tried, however insufticiently, to pro-
vide some kind of substitute for proper
! governmental action. The army off,
GERS ard enlisted men have put all
good Americans under fresh debt by
what they have done in connection
with this camp; and We owe much to
the private citizens who have advanced
the money without which the camp
could not have been held. But you
men have had to buy your own uni
! forms; you have had. to spend money
in so different ways: in other words,
you have had to pay for the privilege
o. learning how to serve your country.
This means that for every one man
like yourselves who can afford to come
| here there are hundred equally good
American citizens, equally patriotic.
who would like to come and are I'M
able to. 1t is undemocratic that the
young farmer. that the young hired
man on a farm, that the hard working
clerk or mechanic or day laborer all
Of whom wish to serve the country
as much as you do and are as much
entitled to the benefit of this camp as
you are, should be unable to attend
such a camp. They cannot attend
II unless the nation does as SwitZer-
land has done and gives the opportu-
nifty for every generous and right
thinking American to learn by say six
months actual service in one year or
two years how to do his duty to the
country If the need arises-and the
Americans who are not ht-thinking
should be made to serve anyhow. for
democracy has full right to the service
Of its citizens.
Camps like this are schools of civic
virtue, as we'll as Of military efficiency
They should be universal and obliga-
tory for all our young men. Every
man worth his salt will wish to come
to them. AS for the professional
pacifists and the poltroons and college
sissies who organize peace-at-any-
price societies, and the mere money
getters and mere money-spenders, they
should be made to understand that
they have got to render whatever SER
vice the country demands. They must
be made to submit to training in do
ing their duty. Then if, in the event
of war, they prove unfit to fight. at
any rate they can be made to dig
trenches and kitchen sinks. or DO what
ever else a debauch Of indulgence in
professional pacificism has left them
fit TO do. 80
Camps like this are the best pos
sible antidotes to hyphenated Amari-
canism The events of the past
year have shown us that in any crisis
the hyphenated American is an active
force against America, an active force
for wrongdoing. The effort to hoist
two flags on the same fiagpole always
means that one flag is hoisted under
meath; and the hyphenated American
invariably hoists the flag of the United
States underneath. We must all be
Americans and nothing else. > -
There exists no finer body Of Am
erican citizens in this country than
those citizens of German birth or de-
scent who are in good faith Ameri-
cans and nothing else. The pro-
fessional German American has shown
himself, within the last twelve months
to be an enemy to this country as we'll
as to humanity The recent expos
ures Of the way in which these Ger
man Americans have worked together
with the emissaries of the German
Government-often by direct corrup-
tion-against the integrity of Ameri-
can institutions and against America
doing its international duty. should
arouse scornful Indignation in every
American worth calling such The
leaders among the professional Ger
What ls ,ha Res, Remedy For