Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-07-20
cent the peop,e of the earth in appre-

! henSiOn or exactly tnal WHICH III" 10
happening and this humanity no longer
will endure. She has been inoculating
the whole world with the virus of mil
itarism and this has tended to dlslocate
progress.
Germany always will remain among
the most potent of the nations. She
has been so highly organized that al
ways she will be in the van of progress.
1t would be the worlds loss if she were
permanently expelled from that high
position: it was the worlds loss when
she abandoned it for retrogression.
IAN Germans but the Prussians have
been a peaceful people always. But
j either from Frederick the Great or from
Napoleon, the Prussians learned Il dew
ilish lesson, and belief in what was thus
established in their minds must be
knocked out of them.
Democracy Against Autocracy.
Especially to the young American.
there is much worth study in the stu
| alton as it stands. Let me speak par
ticularly to him.
"What are you?" You nave been born
into a system of liberal individualism.
You are fortunate. Here in Europe
children are brought up in an old sys-
TEN. You are a free man, an individual
coequal with all other citizens.
You are not an atom in a stratifica-
ton. That is the chief advantage of
your citizenship of the United States.
Not being stratiied you have all of life
to move about in.
1T nay be difficult. because of this
very strength of your individualism, to
lick you n your fellows into shape as
a great fighting force, an army; but
when this once is done you will be won
derfully powerful. When you come
over here to fight numbers of things
will chafe you: but you will learn much
quicker than the European soldier can
learn.
w in South Africa are intensely in
dividual, fed upon the milk of social
and political freedom. and l do not hes
, ltate to say that because of that very
tact South Africans are now among the
best of the worlds soldiers. There are
no soldiers like freemen, and you, the
young men of America whose high des-
tiny 1t will be to babttle in this war,
Will be among the best of the worlds
pest. You. representing democracy,
will beat Germany, representing autoc-
racy. at everything she undertakes.
y One lesson have derived from a
4 study of American history and prob
lens in the danger America has in
CURED on various CRITICAL occasions
through the failure of her statesmen
and public men sufficiently to support
her military authorities. For example,
it is clear that in your war of indepen-
SOAAo S0o SNOA4So Ia IbOII dS .
10 bringing general disaster, and that
it not been for the %invincible spirit
OF George Washington, with whom con-
gress forever was interfering to the
upset of his we'll laid plans, your strug-
gle would have failed.
/, IN your civil war much that might
nave been done at nee and effectively
was postponed because your
would not trust your leaders. Only
Wnen Lincoln was able to give a free
nand to Grant was victory achieved.
rms y not occur till scores of thou
had been slaughtered needlessly.
n deaths of those brave thousands
may be charged directly to political
interference with h military plans Of
your accepted but not sufficiently DOW
erful leaders.
Now as you approach participation
IN this struggle take thought of these
things. Your peoule do not realize the
mean for you a far greater
struggle than our civil war. 1t may
well be the greatest effort Of your his
tory: 1t is of the utmost and far
reaching Importance that you should
take thought Of the great lessons
taugh by the experience of your Lin
coin and your Grant.
You should very carefully. very
soiemniy. arrange the best military
machine which you can possibly de-
wise. You should organize it and
equip 1t with the best thought of YOUR
national genius. Once built this great
machine should be placed in charge of
men SO shrewdly chosen that to them
you a feel safe in giving an abso-
lute!y free hand. Take to heart the
mighty lessons of your own and every
other nations history.
The relations between your civil
and military authorities should be such
that, having settled your military di-
rection, they will let it work with the
least possible interference, for the least
friction means the greatest efficiency.
The salvation of. Britain was that
at the time of the VI outbreak she
had as her war minister, Lord Kitch-
ener, and left him a free hand in the
organization Of her armies, her armies
that will win their victory after his
death. 1t Is essential that after you
ave constituted your military ma
chine as carefully as possible all po-
litical conditions should be subordi-
mated In Its operation and that that
should go forward without outside in
reference.
Political interference in military af-
fatrs already has caused great difficult
ties on this side. Avoid them. Study
our mistakes. Remember those Of
your own wars. Avoid them now.
May ! venture to express my pleas
ure over some things which have
reached US from America as frankly as
I have expressed my fears? The Stand
which q number OF your great oreani-
xatfons have taken against profiteerine
Is most gratifying to US here. Nothing
could be more important. You have
set q notable example in this matter to
us all. and you have done it very
quickly. It looks as IL such scandals
as have marked the progress. of nm