Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-09-25

SLOW TO reallZe this condition and In
fact many of us fail to realize and
appreciate it now, and out of this
failure to appreciate the changed con-
dltlons under which we live arises
the failure of so many of our people
to appreciate the reasons which
prompted the president to take the
steps he did in declaring war upon
the central empires
Support Your President
Many of our citizens feel that the
president was not justified in bring
| ing the country into war | do not
| | cannot believe that President Will
son, a Christian gentleman, a man of
high ideals, man who has studied
and knows the history of the world
as well as any other ruler in the
world, who stood firmly for non-in-
tervention during the past three
years of this tremendous struggle
that has been devastating the coun-
tries of the old world; that has cost
millions of lives; that has destroyed
whole cities and villages, manned ana
| wounded many millions of human
| lives, caused untold suffering to many
| more millions of women and chill
| dren; that has cost billions of dollars
/ which will be a burden upon COM
| ing generations, almost greater than
| they can bear,-knoWing all this, |
| cannot think that he would plunge
| this country of ours into war with
| out the, highest justification. This
man who knows that he must answer
| to his Maker for all the suffering
that may come to us as a people, for
| the dead and the manned, for the bur-
Cen put upon us in taxation, did
not ask congress to declare war upon
the central powers until he had ex-
| hausted every resource at his COM
mand. He did everything possible to
| avoid this, the greatest of all calam-
tiles that can come to a country.
| Only when the honor, the very life
of this beloved country of ours was
at stake did he throw down the gaunt-
let to the greatest military power
in the world, and pledge the lives
and property of this nation to the
redemption of the world from autoc-
| racy in order that we may in the
future continue to live our lives un-
der a free government where every
| man, woman and child has an equal
| chance to live and to work out his
own destiny. l did not support the
president at the election but he is
my president and he is yours, and no
man that has ever occupied that
great office has had greater response
bllitieS to deal with unless it may
have been Washington and Lincoln
Thai being SO, it should be the
great privilege of every man, woman
and child, native or foreign born,
| naturalized or alien, to give to our
president the most loyal support and
not by word or act to do one thing
that may. give comfort or aid to
our enemies. We are engaged in
the greatest war in the history of
the world, one that will vitality affect
the life of this country for centuries
to come. My fellow countrymen, do
you wish to see this land of ours
Inundated, crushed, dictated to?
Think of it, that is what it means if
the central powers are able to dictate
terms to us and to our allies, Britain
| and France. Do any of you wish
| to go back to the form of govern
| ment you left when you broke up
your old home and came to this God
| given country of ours? If you do not
| then every one of you should fight,
you and your sons and daughters, so
| that we may continue to enjoy the
blessings of free country and that
the Stars and Stripes may continue
| to be the emblem of freedom and
] equality.
| Meaning of Democracy
My fellow citizens can you not
see what blessed country ours Is !
For over two hundred years she has
been like Mother with arms extend
ed on the shores of the great ocean,
J beckoning to the oppressed and
down-trodden peoples of all lands to
come, and they have come by the
millions, young men, old men, wom-
en-, whole families, Drawing the
storms and dangers of the ocean to
a land that offered them and their
| children and children's children the
| opportunity to build their homes
rear their families, worship God ac-
cording to the dictates of their con-
sciences and all that this government
| has ever asked of them was to fore
swear their allegiance to foreign
kings and pOtentates and to pledge
| their lives and their fortunes in de-
Tense of the land of their adoption
and to obey the laws of ithat land
Almost from the moment they STEP
ped foot on our shores they have
had an equal voice in framing the
laws under which they have lived
What do we find? The most wonder
full and inspiring evidences of what
freedom and liberty will do for a peo-
pie. The sons and daughters of those
who have been coming to these shores
from every nation in the world, are
today sitting in the high courts OF
the land, in the colleges, in universi-
ties, leaders in all the activities ot
life, in the arts and sciences, in med.
lcal professions, in the pulpits, in the
large manufacturing institutions anC
that without regard to race or re.
1gion. Everywhere you look yor
observe the results of a free democ
racy in the development of the ideal:
and the intelligence of the children
OF those who left their foreign home:
where these things were impossible
. We are lighting for the right to con
tinue unmolested to enjoy these priv
Iileges and that is what Presiden
Wilson refers to when he speaks o
making the world safe for democracy
Is not that a wonderful privilege
i Is not that an inspiring duty? L
such a country not worth living fo
: and is it not worth dying for?
! My fellow citizens, all of these op
| pOrtunitieS.f privileges and RIGHTS or
, at stake in this mighty struggle an,
President Wilson knowing thes
things, as he did, and mindful of wha
: it would all mean, and with as heav
: heart as man ever had, decided tha
i he could do nothing less than to mar
shall all the forces of this country t
/ | maintain the honor, dignity, right
D and liberties for which our forefath
i ers fought and which we are no,
] called upon to preserve.