The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1916-07-06
STAND BY THE COMMANDER-IN-
CHIEF.

from topS'l to keelson. It intends Il
do its yellow damnedest to help elect
Republicans to national, state legisla
tive, county and local offices in the
coming fall election. The whole out.
fit is so soused with the Republican.
ism that when the Occasional Editor
in his fits of mental alteration, writes
nice things about the Democrats and
the Democratic party, the blasted old
Intertype refuses to work; but we
want the world, the nation, the state
and this locality to know that the Her
aid is AMERICAN, before it is par
tisan.
For this reason it looks with much
disfavor, not to say disgust, at the
| scurrilous, caustic criticisms of Pres
ident Wilson in regard to his manner
of conducting war operations at the
present time.
Of course he has made mistakes and
possibly the present precarious border
situation is due to such mistakes, but
the situation is here now for us to
face and there is nothing for patriotic
citizens to do but face it, and face it
with united front. Possibly we
might almost say that probably the
President will make more blunders be-
fore the Mexican muddle is straigh-
tened out and it is cinch that some
errors would be made no matter who
was in the White House.
Washington made grievous blund-
ers in conducting the Revolutionary
War, but his heart was right and he
utilized his errors as stepping stones
of knowledge.
Abraham Lincoln made sad mis-
takes, and many of them, in the time
of the Civil War; mistakes that sad
dened his mighty heart and bowed his
head with grief, this according to his
own admission, yet no true patriot of
fered criticism or Withdrew his SUD-
port and none but traitors endeavored
to make capital out of his errors.
The Kaiser has Numbered and blum
dered yet again in his conduct of the
war, even his most loyal subjects 40
NIT this, yet if he were ridiculeI or
the party doing it would be
ined up against wall and shot.
King George and the English
chiefs have done nothing but blunder
since the beginning of the titanic Eu-
'opean war struggle, and these blum
lers have cost countless lives and un-
old treasure at the Dardanelles and
'ther places, yet no carping critics are
narling at their heels.
This government, at the present
ime, is practically in a state of war.
resident Wilson is the constitutional
ommander-in-chief of the army and
avy. Those of our citizens who are
nder arms are actually oath-obligat-
d to support him and criticism of his
ctlons or questioning his motives by
len under arms would constitute
reason, and if the same stern war
avs prevailed here as in European
ands the act would be punishable by
cath. Every citizen of the United
tates is implicitly a soldier or sailor /
nd are implicitly oath-obligated to
1pport the commander and chief, and
riticism and cavil at his military ac-
ons Is Treason just as much as it i;
'ould be if they were bearing arms.
Every criticism, every scurrilous
lg, every cavilling remark is eargerly
eized upon by enemies of the United
tates across the border and are cited
an example of the lack of unity on
ne part of Americans and furnish aid
nd comfort for the enemy.
In this crisis let not the wall 20 I'D
rom the land as it did in 81:
Tell the traitors all around you,
That their cruel words we know
10 kill our boys in ev'ry battle,
By the help they give the foe"
1t is not disloyal to discuss some
leasures internal and unmilitary. 1t
not disloyal to worw for a new COM
lander-in-chief on the fourth of
[arch next, but President Wilson will
e commander-in-chief until that time
hen we hope a new man will be at
ne helm, and how can we expect our
'emocratic citizens to be loyal to the
ew chief when that time comes if we
onr1h1ioorc do A. |