River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-12-27

refuses to discharge his military duty
is no more Of a Stacker than is he
who refuses to pay his just share o.
tax, or buy a bond, or plant war
garden" or cease his riotous living,
or cooperate with the Food Admins
tratiOn in saving the fat. He who
talks and writes now in any way to
discourage young men and women
from wading into this horrible thing
with their whole might until the
world is safe from the champions Of
Potsdam philosophy is as much of
traitor to the best that his country has
given him as is he who would secret
ly snip the timing fuse of the shells
used by our Allies on the western
front. The fuse-snipper and the milk
sop are in the same class. Because
of their work more American boys
must make the supreme sacrifice than
would otherwise be compelled to
make it,
Every voice today which says, eve
owe nothing to the past. We owe
nothing to the FUTURE am ashamed
of the flag because it is war flag
We had no reason for going into this
thing-no church or school can sup
port this war and keep it's hands
clean,' lis the voice of a member of
one Of the following classes:
l. A traitor or an unpatriot.
2 An ignoramus who doesn't
know his history
8. A selfish individualist who
would save his own soul, even though
saving it in this way might mean
giving the soul of his brothers a big
dose of hell.
low isn't streak but rather whose
soul has been so 1Tng submerged in
the jaundice of selfishness that it has
reached the saturation point.
s. An adopted son whose foreign
ancestry clouds his vision to such
degree as to make him blind to the
wonderful opportunities America has
extended to him and his people. He
most eXCusable.
g. A socialistic zealot who says he
can't support this war because it is
a munition makers war" 1t is I'm.
fortunate and wrong that anyone
should make excess profits out of this
thing but when fire breaks out in his
own house would my socialist friend
refuse to let the water be turned on
because the Garbage Co. or the
Rubber Trust made a profit on the
fire-hose? Let's put out the fire,
friends, and then talk of Utopia.
Now the true patriot is he who be-
lieyes that the nation is the highest
type of social organization for salts
flying certain great common needs
He knows that trough this Organiza-
ton great benefits reach him every
day which could not reach him
through any local or less powerful
community He knows that the peo-
pie OF the past have bequeated the
nation to him, that because of their
efforts great groups of human rights
have been preserved to him and that
much that contributes materially to
his well-being today, has come be-
cause of the vision, the tenacity of
purpose and the ceaseless endeavor
Of those people. Knowing these
things the true patriot takes little
for granted. Rather he is grateful to
the sturdy men and women who have
made this nation possible. Further
more, he realizes his responsibility to
those who will follow him here,-not
to those in the immediate future
merely but to those who will need
the nation in the dim countless life
times that stretch ahead He is,
therefore, willing to give bountifully
of the substance and if need be, give
his life to maintain and preserve the
United States against all enen les
within or without the nations
borders. The true patriot firmly be
lieves that he must pass the nation
on to posterity as completely intact
as it was when he was a part of it,
He will bes careful to reveal to his
children the true story of this nation
in all its rich detail He will teach
them that he loves this country not
because it has done and gives
promise of doing some things better
than other nations. He will teach
them that this nation must never fail
to protect American lives; or fail to
maintain all American institutions
and customs that are fit to survive;
or cease to preserve the priceless
liberty of decent activity in making a
living, improving surroundings, wor-
shipping God, travelling, buying,
selling, marrying, bearing and rearing