The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-09-01


There followed buttons, and num-
bers. and all else that was detachable
from his once complete and proper
uniform.
eThis," he cried, SIS my answer!"
He raised himself erect, folded his
arms, and looked with mingled def
ance and appeal at the amazed and sis
lent men.
"This is my answer to the murder
ers-my answer to the emperors,
kings, presidents, politicians, capital
lists, bankers. makers of guns and pow
der-all the money-sodden and power
crazed schemers who have brought
twenty millions of slaves together to
shoot each other down"
"Stop!" flung out voice from the
group of men before him.
Duprez paused and looked anxious
ly but fearfessly toward the speaker.
well. Martineau?" he demanded
sharply.
..Thisfis treason!" replied the man
reselutely. He was the largest among
them-a very presentable figure of a
soldier in his new uniform-and his
honest face had perhaps a little less
of the interpretive expression that
characterized the pale countenances
of his compaions.
Treason? Treason to whom?
Treason to what?" demanded Duprez,
advancing a step and treading his
Lebel under his feet.
Treason to your country Trea-
son to Frahce!" retorted Martineau.
Among the others there was now
apparent division of feeling, a con-
hict of emotions aroused by the fiery
and appealing words of Duprez and
the sharp and antiseptic reminder Of
Martineau.
Duprez saw instantly that he had
perhaps half of his men already won,
prepared as they had doubtless been
by their reading, and that he had a
fair chance to convince the others.
treason" he cried scornfully
Treason to France, already betrayed
by parliamentary cliques! Treason to
a country already plundered by grasp
ing politicians Treason to the Patrie
already tottering to the grave dug for
her by her own men-so-called men
who fill the magazines of her battle
ships with rotten powder Don't you
know why the Liberte blew up?-men
who fill their pockets with millions
appropriated to buy a worn-out and
bankrupt raAroad-men who trade in
the nations property and the nations
lives-men who fatten on the corpses
of the pooB-men who reek with
mol" shouted Martineau. Urea
son to the country of Deroulede and
Poincare; treason to the nation at
tackedeby the1tyrant who wants to put
his foot on every province OF France
as he has on Alsace and"
ooh, there you arei" broke in Du-
PREF. THAT foolish cry of Alsace and
LorraineI What is Alsaee2 What is
Lorraine? What is France? What is
Germany, Austria, RussiA? What are
these imaginary lines drawn across
fields and mountains and valleys?
what are these artificial divisions
of men that are set to fighting one
another on the fimsiest pretexts to
gratify~ the lust of rulers. The Ger
man tyrant, you sayI Yes, the Ger
man tyrant, the Russian tyrant, the
French tyrants. What is the republic
of France, as it stands today, but an
other form of that same corruption,
that same autecracy, that same tri-
umph of the few over the many that
rules in all the world? Because you
go to the polls and vote, do you think
you are any the less a slave? Listen!"
There came over the hill the distant
but somewhat nearer roar of guns.
Brothers shooting at brothersl"
Duprez continued. DO you suppose
those poor devils of Germans want to
kill us? Do you suppose this is their
war? Do you suppose we should ever
have come hunting each other over
these fair hills and valleys if we had
come to know each others thoughts
if we had had the sense and the cour-
age to unite ourselves, to work to-
gether for the cause of man,
do you think this sort of thing is
going on forever? Some thought it
was going on forever away back in
1898. In the name of God, are we go
ing to lose the gain won by the sacri-
fees of our ancestors in the cause of
human freedom?> Are we for all time
going to be fooled by the silly shibbo-
leths of country and flag and patriot
ism?>
ITO die for three. strips of bunting
sewn together! For a boundary line
that hasn't even river or a range Of
mountains or any other kind of an ex-
cuser For a sentiment that enables
your masters, blood-sucking vampires,
to keep you huddled in your pens, to
be plundered and plucked at their
Will If you want to die"
They were all silent now-eYen
Martineau. as Duprez took another
step toward them, his head lifted high,
his eyes blazing with the fire of his
spirit, his face grown almost majestic
and. Godlike under the Transforming
power of his idea.
81 have brought you here to pre-
pare you to die for a cause-for the
greatest of all causes-for the cause.
The brotherhood of mani 1t is COM
ing. The way is prepared. But lit
tie while and such a war as this will
be impossible
THE armed hordes will no longer
move at the command of tyrants.
Germans, French, Austrians, Russians.
English-all alike will refuse to kill
one another at the will of a few
shrewd and self-seeking schemers
who play upon the, folly and the Gre
dulity of the masses. The masses!
The masses shall rule, and the pow
der factories shall be idle, and the
warships shall rot at their piers, and
the bayonets shall be- turned into"
He was interrupted for a moment
by the much nearer tumult of the bat
tie that was raging beyond the hill.
But he smiled in kind of triumph.
They are dying yonder-for MOTH