Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-06-05

lions for restoration Of world peace
and the establishment Of the new.
relations between the parties to the
war. But China is no longer sleep
ing. 1t is entirely within the range
of possibility that she will be one
of the most important participants ir
the peace negotiations.
Chairman Lafayette Young of the
State Council of Defense has issued a
call for meeting of the entire coun-
Gil of twenty-one members at the
state house on June 9, at II a. M,
at which time the report of the ex-
ecutive committee, outlining a plan
of work and organization, will be
taken up.
And now some of the mean enc
mics of Col. Roosevelt are saying
that he was trying to run a bluff in
offering to raise an army for service
in France. It is quite evident that
President Wilson didn't take that
view. If he had, he would surely
have called the bluff by permitting
the colonel to show his hand.
Exports of American chewing gum
will total $1,000,O0O in value this
fiscal year, according to an estimate
of the bureau of foreign and domes-
tic commerce. The Soldier" de-
mand is accountable for this in
crease. No one would say that gum
is munition Of war, but the use
of it is a great relief to nerves torn
by the ceaseless din of battle.
Every loyal citizen of the United
States ought to enlist in the army
or buy liberty bond If he can. If
he can't do either, he can at least
speak words of encouragement for
Uncle Sam. That will hel p some.
There are thousands of people who
cannot get into the army and who
are too poor to buy bond. but there
is not one who cannot do something
to help his country during this, the
hour of its peril.
It is frequently said that the news
paper should be condemned for drag
cling the family skeleton from the
closet, and the Freeman-Tribune
concurs in that view. But when the
skeleton insists upon stalking the
streets, Haunting its execrable shape
before the eyes Of men, becoming
brazenly Indifferent to publicity, it
is little wonder that the newspaper
sometimes takes notice of it. If the
old skeleton would remain locked
in the closet, where it belongs, and
the family would carefully guard the
key, there would be little cause to
complain of the newspapers.
Russia is drunk with liberty,
France had her reign of terror we
the period of confederation. 1t has
ever been the history of republics
that they have passed through times
Of discouraging trial when it seemed
almost as If the light of liberty was
flickering out and that autocracy
must again be seized to save the day.
Yet it is for this very reason that
Russia, dazed in the new bright light
of her dreams come true, must have
our constant help and our sincerest
sympathy. They have a nation COM
posed of millions of illiterate peas
ants who have for generations felt
only the scourge of persecution. Sud
denly free, they are blinded by their
new condition much as men are
dazed when released from the dark
dungeon. Let us not condemn Rus
STA too soon. Look back through
history and note the period Of dis
couraging disappointment our own
republic went through.
The socialist in Milwaukee who
caused to be printed circular ad-
vising workingmen not to register
for call to the colors, declaring it is
worse than slavery. would bring the
entire country under the rule of the
kaiser If his advice were needed.
What would become Of the fine the
DRY of the socialists If the Prussian
war machine should gain world do
minion? And it will gain such do
minion unless the liberty-loving peo-
pie of the world are willing to fight.
Talk about the selective call to the
colors being slavery. 1t is nothing
compared to what will come If wo
quietly submit to the demands Of au-
tocracy. A people that will not fight
for freedom will not long possess it.
Look at Armenia, poor. PROSTATE Ar
menia! Had her people fought for