The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-11-08
SOME NATIONAL TRADITIONS.

It is worth while for the soldier to
recall why and how the men before us
fought for American principles and
rights. You are representing today
, the same ideals and lighting for many
of the same things they fought for in
1776, 1898, 1872, 1916, 1861. and 1893.
In 1776 our forefathers refused any
longer to submit to the demands Of a
tyrannical government and declared
themselves independent. The farmers
and shopkeepers and mechanics and
fishermen who rushed to arms at the
beginning Of the Revolution did not at
first realize they were forming new
nation. But before long they saw
clearly that in order to enjoy liberty
they must shake off the rule of the
autocratic government which had Its
seat in London.
In their attitude they had the sym
pathy Of great many Englishmen
who were broad enough to see that the
| American colonists were really fighting
for the rights of all free peoples. In
the British parliament Pitt and Burke
and other great Englishmen openly de.
Tended the American patriots. IF ]
were an American as am an English
man." said one Of the great parlia-
mentary leaders, "while foreign
troop remained in my country would
never lay down my arms" 1t was not
the English people who were seeking
to suppress liberty in America, but a
small body Of court politicians-an
autocratic government-which misrep-
resented the people.
The Americans of that day on their
part did not hesitate to take up arms
for their rights, even though they
came into conflict with the seasoned
| troops of a great power-even though
| they had to meet invasion and partial
conquest Of their own country. Nor
did they long hesitate to break COM
pletely away from the mOtherland
which many Of them still loved.
In 1913 we found ourselves in state
of war with the French government.
This is not usually thought Of as an
| American war, since there was no
| fighting except for a few encounters
on the high seas. There was no
declaration of war and it was all set
tied within few months. Yet the fact
| is that state of war actually existed.
Here again We had no quarrel with the
French people, whom we admired and
loved for the help they had given us
during the Revolution. We were real
| ly at war with little group known as
the Directory, who had seized the gov
eminent of France and misrepresented
its people.
In the War of 1872 with Great Brit
ain, the principal question at issue
concerned the freedom of American
ships and the rights of American sail
ors on the high seas. For the most
part the American army was poorly
trained and equipped and had little
success. 1t redeemed itself, however,
at the Battle of New Orleans, where
Andrew Jackson led the western
militia to q well-earned victory. The
British government tacitly recognized
4 tile SOuuuu6SS VI Tic AOL
which the Americans fought.
Americas next war was with Mex
leo. The Mexicans had not been very
careful of American rights either in
Mexico itself or along the frontier, and
the disagreement as to the ownership
Of certain large strip Of land along
the Rio Grande easily led to hostil-
tiles. In the wer that followed the
armies of Scott and Taylor won vic
j tory after victory against overwhelm-
I ing odds and eventually Mexico sued
for peace. One result Of the war was
to establish more definitely the right
Of an American citizen abroad to q
reasonable amount of protection and
support.
Less than a generation later came
the great Civil war. Never was the
fighting spirit Of the citizen-soldier
better shown than in this unhappy and
brief struggle, when Americans were
pitted against Americans. Both sides
were fighting for principles Of govern
ment the North for the principle of
union, the South for the principle of
the right Of states to secede from that
Union. Today, with the war half
century behind them, there are prob
ably few Americans, either North or
South, who do not rejoice in their
hearts that the principle of union was
upheld and that we are able today to
meet our new foe as united nation.
We entered the Spanish war to put
an end to misrule In Cuba. Again our
quarrel was not with the Spanish peo-
pie. but with the government, which
! was creating conditions In Cuba that
we could not endure with self-respect.
The Americans are peculiarly q
peace-loving people. They have no
taste for warfare and no lust for ter
ritory or power. Yet within less than
one hundred and fifty years we have
entered six important wars, the last
and perhaps the greatest Of which is
the one just beginning against the
German government. Why has all this
warfare been necessary?
The answer is to be found In the
simple fact that there are certain
American rights and principles that
must be upheld If the United States is
TO remain a free and self-respecting
nation. These rights have never been
attacked-and probably never will be
attacked-by other free and demo
cratic peoples. But the world is not
vet rid of governments in the hands of
small groups who betray their own
Deople and drive them forward In