Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-06-12

SEMI w EEhL
detracting an iota from the credit thai
is given to those who subscribe It If
possible also to give the commiteemer
their measure of credit. too.
For there are citizens whose ability
to buy Liberty Bonds cannot be doubt
ed. who offer objections and waste the
time Of the committeeman and them
selves by attempting to offer argu
ments to prove that they should not
add their mites to the total which shall
count as Wapello county's subscription
to the war chest to finance the most
righteous war in all history.
Let the rich men buy these bonds,
Is common plant the committeeman
hear when they approach these men,
And the answer is ready.
BLESS your SOUL" the committee
man says, the rich men are buying
them" And then he cites instances to
prove that almost any of Americas
numerous owners Of vast fortunes has
subscribed for blocks Of Liberty Bonds
measured in terms of millions.
The rich are buying them, and they
are joining patriotically in the effort
to induce the man of moderate means
to buy them too. The rich need no
urging. They are accustomed to
finances in big figures; they have nu'
merous other investments which
would be without protection and prac.
tically without value should the Liber.
ty Loan fail.
Don't let the rich man get all the
T ~ H. l. -, n{y ha an
ergetic committeeman gives. Don't
permit the rich to corner the nations
patriotism and all the credit for sup
plying the cash which the United
States and our allies must have If they
are to win over Germany.
Don't adopt short-sighted business
policy which can be the only explana-
ton of refusal to buy Liberty Bonds by
a man who has or can command Few
dollars. Protect your own property
and the investment it represents by
helping to finance the war whose out
come will decide whether your prop
erty will remain yours or be confiscat-
ed by Germany to pay fines and indem-
mites"
There are some who imagine they
are displaying canny business sense
when they adopt an air of superiority
and say to the committee, "Oh, l can
get per cent or or for my money;
I don't want any 31s per cent paper"
But the committeeman is not awed
by this conclusion either
You can make more than per
cent" he tells the scoffer. so can |,
if you or someone else makes my in
Go h1yr ooir ho
Loan with the purchase of 314 per cent
bonds.
But il no one should buy those
bonds. where would my per cent IN
vestment be? 1t is based on America S
normal prosperity, on the permanence
of American institutions and American
supremacy. Let America suffer de-
feat at the hands of the Prussian oil
garchy-as she most certainly would
but for the army and money raised by
the loyalty of her people-and my high
rates of interest would be wiped out
along with my principal. The Liberty
Bonds are the bulwark of all American
investments and all American homes.
Do you want someone else to make
your investment and your home safe
for you while you display the most pro.
nounced type of selfishness, greed and
disloyalty by taking your profits at
your neighbours expense?"
This Is not our war" is the answer
some men give the committees. why
should we loan money to England and
France to finance war in Europe?'
they ask.
They ask 1t even today. In the face
>f Nf W fhom
in the face from the printed pages of
newspapers. magazines and every sort
Of war literature including even that
which the Prussian kaiser, In his
frenzy Of blasphemous egotism. in
spires and to which he contributes.
They ask it when they know, if they
know the history Of the present war
and the events which led up to It, that
America could no more have kept out
of the struggle than could the victims
of the recent cyclones have warded off
the murderous winds which swept
away their homes.
They ask it when the answer is so
obvious that there is real pity in the
committeeman's tones as he points out
the wisdom of fighting and whipping
Prussia in Europe. with the help OF a
dozen other nations. rather than wait
ing for the kaiser to crush those ma
tions. absorb their powers and come
surging through America like devas-
tating fame to complete his gigantic
scheme of world domination In an orgy
Of british inhumanity multiplying Bel
GUMS fate by thousands.
And despite these obstructionists,
some wlfully blind and others merely
misled, the campaign for subscriptions
to the Liberty Loan in Ottumwa is 60
ing forward with measure OF enthus-
iasm and success that stamps the com
munity as loyal and true and gives
every citizen Of Ottumwa new
reason, and a good and valid one too.
for being glad he Is an American and
an Ottumwan.
THE VICTIMS.
~, noi L.