The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-03-09
5 A PATRICK HENRY NEEDED?

her to action?
In setting forth our grievances, fol
lowing in the footsteps of our sires,
we thought them graver and more in
tolerable than those which caused
them to take up arms
More than two weeks ago our griey-
ances were summarized as follows:
The German government has dis
puted, belittled and invaded the SOW
ereignty of the United States on its
own soil With the help of thousands
of paid agents, spies and criminals.
many of them in government service:
lit has defed our laws, c0nspired
against our industry and commerce.
melted strikes and riots, placed eX.
Iplosives in ships, factories and ware
houses. levied war from our territory
upon Canada. endeavored by bribery
to persuade Mexico to make war upon
US, forged and bedeyiled our pass
ports. and in numerous cases, by the
use OF the bomb and the torch, de
stroyed American lives and American
property.
That government has denied to the
people OF the United States the lawful
use of the seas Refusing 10 risk its
great navy it has impudently asserted
rights on the ocean accorded to no
body since the suppression of piracy
and buccaneering. 1t has sunk our
ships and massacred our people,
Boosting of it one day and the next
mockingly expressing regret. 1t has
promised reformation and reparation
and has broken every pledge. Here
tofore it has equivocated and apollo
gized 1t now reaches the very eli
max of outrage in what amounts to
bold declaration of savage warfare
upon our shipping and our people ey-
cept as they agree to the vassalage
which it imposes
THAT government has also main
tanned in this country at great cost.
under the leadership of German Off
Gals and German mercenaries, pro
paganda for the encouragement of
treason against the United States.
political agitation calculated to mis-
lead our people as to their rights and
duties. and in the recent election a
far reaching movement intended in
the interest OF aliens TO displace a
president of the United States whose
sole offense was the strict observance
Of neutrality In all these respects
its activities have been so great that
we have been compelled to revise our
national criminal code. Al this mo-
ment there are pending in congress
fifteen or twenty bills giving the fed
eral authorities power to deal ade-
quately with atrocious crimes rarely
committed in this country until agents
of the German government entered
upon them by wholesale"
/ We now find that they are even
more heinous and intoIerable than
! here enumerated.
Germany mas enaeavored to con
spire with Mexico and Japan to make
war upon US. and if successful has
agreed upon the spoilation of our
territory
In this crisis we need the re-incarna-
ton of the spirit of Patrick Henry.
and the signers Of the Declaration Of
American independence
In the language of that great hero:
Shall we gather strength by irreso-
luton and inaction? Shall we ac-
quire the means of efectual resist
ance by lying supinely on our backs
and hugging the delusions OF hope?"
We have seen the Laconia go down,
as did the Lusitania. We have dis
lowered the plot to have US assaulted
by Mexico and Japan.
Under these circumstances shall we
still cry, Peace. Peace" when there
is no peace? What is it that the