Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-04-20
war every democracy except our own
will be Immediately dominated and
controlled by the greatest enemy Of

war every democracy except our own
will be Immediately dominated and
controlled by the greatest enemy Of
popular government in the world and
the United States will have to fight
alone and against tremendous odds. At
the close Of this war there will either
be a new birth Of freedom or a re-es-
Establishment of an autocracy.
Germany has already denied to US the
freedom Of the seas which we had been
accustomed to enjoy since we were
nation and which we claim is our own
inalienable right. For the maintenance
of this right we fought England. the
then mistress of the seas in 1872, and
If mistake not the temper Of the Am
erican people they are ready to maiR-
tain that right at any cost. Germany.
always the enemy of free government.
in her desperation disregarding all con-
sideration of conscience and decency
and all ideas Of duty imposed by i'm
ternational law and the principle of hu.
manity. has ordered a ruthless CAM
paign of murder on the seas. She has
already killed ESQ of our citizens with
out warning and has destroyed so AM
erican vessels and millions Of dollars
worth of property wantonly and unlaw-
fully. Shall we further submit for the
sake of peace? The answer NO. never
comes back from the lips of one hum
dred million loyal people. There can
be no peace while murder and all Vi
ciousness that human ingenuity can de-
wise is seeking its victims on both land
and sea.
Upon us at this hour there rests the
gravest individual responsibility and
responsibility is duty and that duty is
to be true to and maintain the ideas ex-
pressed in our constitution. namely lih-
erty and justice indissolubly united
with honesty and justice.
! We have as much at stake as Eng
land did when Belgium was invaded and
those rights must be protected by Ams
orleans. 1t may be possible, it is prob
able that we may have to send our ar
mics to Europe in order to bring about
a sure and decisive victory. AS has been
recently said: I'VE shall never he a
real factor in this war until our troops
are in the trenches"
We may need in the field one million
men; we may need four million, and we
must remember that for every million
men at the front there must be five mil
lion other persons to furnish them with
supplies and munitions of war and to care
for the sick and the wounded. Men and
women will probably be called upon to
till the soil, to operate our great mills
and munitiCn plants and factories And
millions of children who are too your z
to enter the army will assist in cu,tvat-
ing the little garden and raise vegetables
where they have been accustomed to grow
flowers The noble women of the land
arc ready to do their part.
| Let our hearts he filed with the senti-
ment of the poet: >
'"Triumph we must
when our cause il is lust,
And this he our motto:
In God we trust.
And the star Spangled Banner In triumph
shall wave
| Ger the land of the free and the home
of the brave q,
| AT the close of the addresses the school
children sang 1.-THE Battle Hymn of the
Republic" and the exercises were brought
to an end with the singing of America y
The boys of co. NJ, the members of the
Continued from Page II. Col. ~ :,