Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-04-05
getting along nicely from the same at
this writing.
4 LETTER
UNAFRAIL)

from the Milwaukee Free Press:
The following letter was published
in the Minneapolis Tribune of March
= and We have been asked to repro
6uca i. We. do so because Mr.. Fon-
tame halls from the Badger state. be-
Ic2Cse he is a genuine American and be
cause he is not afraid TO exercise the
right Of free speech in this country.
e~an though Great Britain is doing her
worst and best to suppress It:
t Sic Editor Of the Tribune:
+ 7Iy reply to Il. H. g." who seems
to be ashamed to father his child, will
be brief ard to the point. In the first
nlace, the heading to my article was
placed there by the editor of the Tri-
bune. IN the second place, I am not
80 much pro-German as I am anti
British. For this mans information
IS we'll as others, permit me to saw
hat I am q real American. Ny faith
er was French Swiss and a soldier.
He was also a soldier in Paris, France.
E,mig~ated to America in 1850, he was
. volunteer soldier in our civil war.
When he entered the army he bid my
mother farewell, leaving her with six
children, in our humble pioneer home
} u the pineries of Wisconsin. He was
with Gen. Sherman on his march to
the sea. April Is, 1865, at the close
IF the war, he became seriously i'll and
died April 80, and was buried in the
cemetery at Newburn, North Carolina
Ny uncle was a soldier in France
with Gen. Mcmahon and came to this
country in October, 1860, and October
1851, he enlisted in the Union Army
under call made by President Lin
coin and served faithfully until Octo-
her, 1866, receiving two honorable dis
| charges. He died and was buried in
the national cemetery at Milwaukee
lily wife had three brothers in the u
MON army, two Of whom have passed
on. Each one was honorably discharg-
ed at the close Of the rebellion.
How can I. H. c. expect a son of a
veteran to honor the memories of the
! honored dead and stand for Old Glory
when such men as Wilson, Root, Roose-
welt and their kind are clamoring for
war to save England, the vampire of
/ the seas. 1 am following as best / can
Wasnington's advice, Keep ont of Eu-
ropean entangling alliances" If we
enter this war, we viii surely get the
dirty end Of the stick. Great Britain
is following her historic methods. Nil
lions Of Americans are praying for
German success with her submarines,
navy and army to free the seas of this
Totter and enemy Of peace.
While my ancestry were fighting for
freedom for our people, England was
doing all in her power for the Rebels
Ct the South to destroy this great u
Mon. Now she is trying to destroy the
great German people but she will fail
and we cannot save her. Half of our
people viii remain neutral on this war
as we do not fear so just a people as
the Germans.
The British have violated our sacred
rights and honor, but our Buchanan
Democratic president is too English
to notice, save only with polite notes.
Mr.. Editor, I hereby challenge L.
Fl. G. to meet me in joint debate in any
public hall or place and defend this
cruel, inezcusable, wicked war position
he and his kind take. I will then fur
nish evidence and facts that viii sub
stantiate my position to the letter.
Thanking you for this courtesy, I
remain, yours truly, P. B. FONTAINE
1928 West Fortieth street.
We don't know who 81. H. G." is,
but we have a strong suspicion that he
belongs to the Minneapolis breed of
'1oyalists," the "tories" who want this
country to fight for Great Britain, but
prefer the citizens whom they AL
"hyphenotes" to do it for them.