Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-06-05
LANE TELLS YOUNG men
WHY THEY ARE CALLED ON
secretary Of Interior Declares Amer.
lea Is ut War I'm Self
Defense.
DUTY OF ALL TO REGISTER
World OF Christ Again Face to Face
With World of Mahomet, Who
Wfllcd to Win by Force-Entcr in
Conflict to Save America.
IBy Associated Prnss


BY Associated Prcss.l
WASHINGTON, June 4-On the eve
OF war Registration Day. Secretary
Lane made speech before the Home
Club OF tho Interior Department to-
night. in which he addressed word
10 those who have not seen clearly
the reason for the country's call upon
It's young men. and answered tho ques-
'ion: why arc VIC lighting Gcrmany?''
America is at war. Mr.. Lane said. in
seit-dcfensc. and because she could
not Keep out: she is at war TO save
herself with the rest of the world
from tho nation that has linked her
SELF with the Turk. and adopted the
method OF Mahomct. setting itself to
make the world bow before policies
backed by it's military system
To-morrow is Registration Day"
said the secretary. 'It is the duty of
all To register il within the class
called. There arc some who have not
clearly seen tho reason for that call
To these would speak word
why arc we fighting Germany
The brief answer is that ours is a
war or self-defensc. We did not wish
to fight Germany. She made the at
tack upon us; not on our shores. but
on our ships. our lives. our rights our
future. For two years and more VIC
hoid 10 neutrality that made us
apologiats for things that outraged
mans common sense Of fair play and
humanity
at each new oncnsc. we said: This
~ war--archaic. uncivilizcd war. bu,
war And while VIC cannot Justify.
We VIII not intervene. 1t is no, our
war
Then why arc VIC in: Because We
could not keep out. The invasion of
bei2luh. which opened the war led
10 INC invasion of the United States
by SLOW. steady. logical steps
TALKED UNTH. TALK WAS
CONSTRUED As COWARDICE;
We talked in the language and in
the spirit OF good faith and sincerity
as honest men should talk, until we
discovered that our talk WAS construed
as cowardicc. and Mexico was called
upon 10 COW us We talked until We
discovered that We were thought 10 he
nation of mere moncy-niakcrs devoid
OF all charactcr-un,il. indeed. we were
told that We could not walk the high
ways OF the world without permission
might not sail without wearing a
ntriped uniform of humiliation upon a
narrow path OF national subscrviencc
We talked as men talk who hone for
honest agreement. not for war. until
we found that the treaty torn TO picccs
AZ i.icSc was but the symbol Of "a policy
that made agreements worthless against
purpose that knew no word hut
success.
and so We came into this war for
ourselves. IL is a war to save Amer
fca. to preserve scif-rcspect TO Justify
our right to live as we have lived not
as some one else wishes US TO live In
the name OF freedom VIC challenge that
word 'Ncrboten' which Germany has
written upon the sea and upon the
land
IL is more precious that this Amer
lea should live than that we Americans
should live. And this America has been
challenged from the first Of this war
by the strong army OF power that
has no sympathy with our purpose and
VIII not hesitate TO destroy us II we
stand across her set will to make this
world bow before her policies. The
world OF Christ has come again face to
face with the world OF Mahomet, who
willcd TO win by force.
REASONS FoR ENTERING
IN WAR On GERMANY
With this background of history
and in this sense, then we fight Ger
many:
Because of Belsium-invaded. out
ragged. cnslaved, impoverished Belgium
Because of France--invaded, desc
Grated France. million of whose
heroic sons have died TO save The land
Of Lafayette:
"Kecause OF Ens,and-from whom
came the laws. traditions. standards of
life and inherited love of liberty:
Because of Russia--ncw Russia. She
must not be overwhelmed now. Her
peasants must have their chance; and
because Of other peoples with their
rising hope that the world may be
freed from government by the soldier.
I'VE still hear the piteous cries of
children coming up out of the sea
where the Lusitania went down.
we saw ship after ship sent to
the bottom. ships of mercy bound out
ships carrying the Red Cross and laden
with the wounded OF all nations
ships flying the Stars and StripeS-scnt
to the bottom hundreds of miles from
shore. manned by American scamen,
murdered against all law, without
warning.
we believed Germany's promise that
she would respect tho neutral flag
aud the rights of ncutrais. But now
we see that she was holding us off