McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1916-05-19

howl Of the enormous she'll. eight feet
long and sixteen inches thick, weigh,
ing nearly a ton. and able, whan it
explodes, to cut the entrails out of
the biggest building here. A few
thousand shells like that would lay
this vast city in ruins, and make the
most stupendous slaughter in the his
tory Of humanity. Remember, too,
that in 1894 the Japanese began their
bombardment at 3 o'clock in the
morning. and thus started the war
against Russia. And then think that
in this city alone there may be hun
dreds of thousands Of men who would
instantly take the part Of our foreign
foe il we were attacked! No wonder
President Wilson went the rounds Of
the country preaching preparedness
for war, and so bitterly denounced
those Americans Of divided allegiance,
who love another country better than
our own. Like a thief in the night
this trouble may come upon US. The
people here are aroused as / never
saw them. At the moving picture
theaters, an army scene, and espe-
cially pictures Of battle-ships under
way and soldiers marching, bring
forth loud applause, even though the
scene may be laid in Canada or En-
gland, and the audience greets por-
traits of the president and generals
with acclaim whenever they are
thrown on the screen. A caricature
Of Theodore Roosevelt, representing
him as on the war-path. was loudly
applauded, and he seems destined to
play a big part in the nations affairs
yet. Politics is largely forgotten,
however, the Republican papers gen.
orally giving President Wilson gener-
GUS support in his European and Mex
lean policies, which are compared to
those Of Abraham Lincoln in their
quiet wisdom and firmness. In his
hard task Of steering our ship of
state at this stormy time, our presi-
dent. whatever party he may repre-
sent, is certainly entitled to our best
and undivided support.
Many of your readers remember
the civil war of the sixties. The
wounds then made are healed, and if
a foreign foe should attack us, the
blue and the gray woull be forever
welded into one rank Of defense.
The South, SO free from foreign pop
ulation,and influence, would really be
the bulwark of the nation, although
it must be understood that many
naturalized citizens Of foreign birth
would stand by US in that day of
trial, for it is here that they have
been protected and have prospered,
and have raised their children in the
sweet, free air Of great republic, of
which they are proud.
For one hundred and forty years
We have stood before the world as an
independent nation; mo foe has
breathed but fell before u.s. we have
never tasted defeat, and we would
almost as soon think of the sky fall
ing as Of passing under the despot-
ism Of foreign ruler. 1t is painful
even TO imagine having to bow the
knee and pay tribute in heavy taxa
ton to a prince Of foreign blood; of
having our laws overturned and our
courts and statutes in a strange
tongue, or even be forbidden to use
the English language, SO like the
breath Of life to US; to give our sons
as army slaves to brutal despots from
another land; to have even the names
| Of our states. counties, rivers and
towns changed to Understanding
things, and our fair daughters de-
handed as "morganatic wives" Of
bloated princelings from across the
s,a, no power left to protect them.
Suppose, when we desired some favor,
we had to kneel for it to fat-faced
scoundrel from Europe, and say
''Vagyok oent megkerdezni', for u
take the liberty to ask your (This
| is not Holy Roller talk, but an actual
equivalent Of these English words. in
a European language | am now learn
ing not. however, expecting to kneel
to anybody soon, other than to a
Power above that Of any man, Such
things have happened to people just
as SMART and as virtuous as we, God
grant that no foreign potentate may
invade our fair land. But time, which