St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1917-09-26

that Incompatible American woman,
Clara Barton. (Applause.) In 1887,
when Miss Barton went again to Ger
many as president Of the American
| Red Cross and as the appointed dele
gate of the United States to the Inter-,
national Red Cross Convention a,
Carlsruhe, she was received by the
aged Emperor with the assurance that
Germany welcomed all those who
were engaged. in the great work Of
| humanity. ~ #
| These are some of the reasons--and
/ I have time to mention only "a few
why the Red Gross had particular
| confidence in the protection of the
German government, "a confidence
akin to that which "a faithful child
bears toward its natural parent. The
| ruin of that confidence was an insane.
price to pay for "a little. wider spread
Of frightfulness. And there is a deep
significance sin the fact that the first
| to die among our troops in France
fell under the EN- blem that the assail-
| ing foe was pledged by international
covenant to pass unframed. It is be-
cause of acts like this, because of the
violation 4of all International coven-
ants. blythe Imperial Government
| many times repeated, on sea and land,
| that she has lost the one time deep
| friendliness of this government to-
| ward her. That is a reason why we
are. in this war, and it is a. madman's
price for any nation to pay for a
little wider spread of frightfnlness.
! 1t has been proclaimed that we
| have no enmity toward the German
people. That is true respecting them
| in common with: all peoples of the
earch. But by its conduct of affairs
| a. nation. makes a character, per-.
sonality, and by that created essence
takes it's place In civilization. From
its, once high and honorable estate,
| by it's own infamous use of strength
and very culture, Germany has sunk
herGelf in the ranks of humanity till
| the kindest weird that may be spoken,
of her is PITY The glory inherited
from, the pat this generation has
/ flung away aid left but odium for its
children. It surrendered to frightfuf-
ness at.the price Of reason, and there
after hideous madness drove it on.
Because of this. the one place at
which cruelty paused before agony
and the majesty of war perceived in
helplessnesst a right divine has been
defi1ed, and the red cross. emblem of
the immortal soul in the white field
Of. civilization, once the mark of i'm
munity, is NOW the target for assault
and for the safety of those whom it
would protect it must be blotted from
the sight. of the name1ess ignominy
| that spies upon it. -.
| Does there exist somewhere a notion
that brave men and women will fail
in their devotion to stricken soldiers
because the emblem of their, service
is no longer a shield from infamy
| [ saw a few weeks since a complete
REPUTATION of that in the determined
/ faces of contingent of young mer
leaving our shores for one of these
very hospitals that have recently been
| attack There was no demonStra-
tion;, there was no excitement. Tho
| gates to- the piers were closed ant
] guarded as the boat that .brough:
them down the river quietly locked
and those strong, courageous, scholarly
fellows, substantially all universit,
men, marched silently up one pier anG.
down the next to the boat on which
I they were to cross the sea. They i'm
/ derstood that submarines waited TO,
them in the ocean, that certain peri
menaced the place to- which the,
were going. They realized that the.
were going to trying, sickening scene;
on the field and in the hospital, and
they sensed the fact that some among
their number were marked for deatl
in the humane service on which thu
| R1,f
own volition, and there was no
/ doubt in their decision or their loyal
ty. No dastardly act of frightfulness
can check that spirit in American
manhood (Applause.) 1t was no
place for. us who had no, part in the
service upon which they had already
entered, and who were there, few
of us, because cur; own boys were in
that contingent, and so we came away.
And now, Mr.. Chairman, the first
among our forces to die in France
have been killed in these hospital
units, and the manner of their kill
ing, the atrocitys with which they
were assailed, ought to Stir this ma
4 ton, to a keener sense Of its RESPONSE
/ bility.. It may be that with less pa
; tience will be endured this fiabby talk
OF an immature peace. 1t is possible
that the act and word that are posi-
4 tive peril to our. soldiers and a menace
to our government will become intol-
y. cradle. This act of depravity, without
:, element of justice or quality of mercy
brings home to us the. duty we can not
avoid. ii There is only one course fol
this nation to pursue nov There is
!, only one way open to- it. It must
help teach the world that no institu-
! ton that would enforce its own, will
). by reputation of all maritime laws
Z and international rights and equablt
/ treaties and solemn covenants and hu.
name, customs-that no such institu
: ton has place in this state of civil
$ ization. (Applause.) You can no
: accomplish that if you allow frightful
; ness to win peace. Do not place OF
: German madness the victor,s laurel
peace imposed by Berlin would b.
2 the browning horror of this ghastIy
!. war. These young men have died +,
= help save civilization and to move i
e a little further forward 1t is for u
Il to make sure the cause in which the,
Z enlisted. We can have no more hol,
:. desire now than the welfare of futur,
generations and