The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-11-20

The mouth Of sedition should he
shut by n bullet"
These are the words of Lemuel Ely
ouigg. lawyer and former congress"
ran from New York. who speaks with
especial force against sedition and
treason as a father whose only son Is
ron his way to the trenches in France.
He emphatically deplores any differ
ences of opinion. any varying points
of view, on the basic principles of war
tanc peace. and declares that the only
thing now TO be considered is how TO
win the war with least possible loss of
life. In ringing words, he denounces
nations organized into beasts of
prey and pacfists whose words and
acts increase the sacrifice the nation
! must make to render the world safe
for democracy" and In the following
letter, which the New York Tribune
prints Ms a leading editorial, he calls
upon those too old to fight in the
i trenches TO support the president in
any step he may take TO suppress sedi-
.icr at home:
The mouth of sedition should be
shut by q bullet.
/ I am not boiling with rage. Mr.. Ed
tor. am not even excited The
point liz this: My son. my only child,
duN sounded call is today headed for
TIE French trenches. there 10 he the
target for German bullets. Every
voice raised here at home to discour
age others from going with him, they
to back him and he to back them,
and so to make their mighty work
success at the least sacrifice TO any,
Increases the chance. already consid-
cradle. that he will never come back to
his mother and me, J think that that
voice ought to be stilled before his
has been,
But this view. so important to me,
so important to the fathers and
mothers OF the thousands who
marched down Fifth avenue recently
and to the parents Of the hundreds of
thousands THAT are being gathered
from all over this land to places OF
training and departure, is the very
least of It. The great thing is that
until the world rids itself of nations
organized into beasts OF prey. no mans
home Is worth building No mans
business is worth pursuing No mans
wife or his Graded baby getting
breath of fresh air in the street in
front Of his house. is safe from rape
OF death
have often heard 1t remarked that
this war is unpopular What war
ever was popular, except to the
- eeG VS., s''S' ana a'hpi'1oh 'llat caused
nav Nat ever was pVPulaI 70
pS"p'e WI" want I" i've III tue ehJoN
.''el's % peaGe, u uef ana uoers l ne
""i popu.af III coi'lecuoh WIN
var IS aesplcaeIe' t'ut never hetofe
las 1he.e "eeH war where the prln-
eiP'e or IhdlVidhal HoeFtY' the rigne
TO make home, TO go about freely.
ito do ones lawful bn5iuess without
interruption 10 protect ones women
ana chilofeh against Inc haroarity OF
iuS, ana MURDER mas been SO definitely
presented 70 the American people as IL
is presented 70 us today. Lexington
and concord were not so bad as this.
Inc issue that brought us into conflict
WIN one another sixty years ago was
n -~s4-f1Ss+s-'4s- ~ -
Not popular Do you suppose
ttat f"e millions OF fathers like myself
would permit our BOYS to lie taken
away from us, hustled into harges, and
then planted straight in the way of
outlets and bombs and killing stenches
II we didnt think II was their duty to
so and our duty to urge them to go?
DO YOU suppose that we Ave million
would permit handful of men down
III Washington to impose upon us bill
: lions of taxes for us to pay next year
II We didn't think they ought to do
; IL and that we ought to pay? II the
e war was unpopular. do you suppose
that we would leave the manifestation
of that fact to n rabble on a street
corner in Butte or on Broadway?
, =. >tp 10 now nothing haG been allow
/ Cd 10 go verw far in this country un :
, less it accorded with the will OF the
people and the reason that We are at
I war with Germany Is because we in.
q two hot he
8 reason we are standing these taxes.
4 the reason we are handing guns to
Y our young men. Is because. after pa
/ tfence against provocation unexam-
. pied in history, after hopes created
g zone day only TO he blasted the next
after proofs that we couldn't believe
8 until proofs that we could no longer