The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-04-27

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ware of entrance into a quarrel, but
being in bear it that the opposed may
beware of thee" | believe these words
apply to nations more so than indi-
viduals. They certainly express the
stand that America has taken in re-
gard to the German Government. For
more than two years, In the face of
insults and outrages, we have entreat-
ed and implored. Our President has
employed every means known to the
school of diplomacy, he has put forth
every argument that might convince
any government, whose mind is open
to reason, of the justice of our claims
and the claims of humanity; but it
is now quite evident that he has been
casting his pearls of entreaty and
sound logic before men who are in
capable of responding to any appeal
that runs counter to their own self
centered and selfish interests. And
now that we have laid aside the pen
and in the name of humanity taken
up the sword we shall so prosecute
this war and bring it to such de-
cisive and successful issue that the
Kaiser and the war lords of his round
table, once this war is over, will new
er want to smell the smoke of bat
tie again.
Words may serve to arouse the
flames of patriotism that burn with
in every American breast but words
alone will never win or end this de-
vastating conflict. Words have been
tried and they have failed. When
some of you were at school you used
to write in your copy books, "The pen
is mightier than the sword. The
author of those words could never
have written them had he known the
ruler of Germany and his general
staff. Those men have about as much
respect for words as a Mexican bull
has for a red flag. Words serve only
to make them mad. They don't seem
to understand the force of American
words but they will understand the
force of American arms.
The bugle has sounded, the call
has gone forth, the forces of the coun-
try, men, money, munitions and sup
plies, are being mustered and gather
ed for the conflict. The land of the
free and the home of the brave shall
conquer again as she has conquered
before in the name that is sweet to
every troubled heart, the name of
Liberty. And / want to say right
here that you will find none more 10y
al to the flag, none truer to the COL
ors, none who shall rally around the
Stars and Stripes with greater en-
thusiasm, none who shall carry Old
Glory nearer the trenches of the en-
envy, and, if needs be, none who shall
lay down their lives with greater for
titude and courage for the land of
their adoption than the German
Americans who came to this country
in answer to Columbia's call to Free
dom We used to talk about the n.y.
phenated- American. That word is a
misnomer now. There are no hyphen-
ated-Americans any longer. The hy-
patriotism has changed it into a sill
yer draw-bar that has melted in the
fire of Americanism.
Our cause is just; our purpose holy,
the means we shall employ are on the
side of virtue. In the appeal address,
ed to his fellow countrymen" the
otherday President Wilson said,
There is not single selfish element,
so far as | can see, in the cause we
are fighting for. We are fighting for
what we believe and wish to be the
rights of mankind and for the fu-
ture peace and security of the world.
To do this great thing worthily and
successfully we must devote ourselves
to the service without regard to prof
it or material advantage and with an
energy and intelligence that will rise
to the level of the enterprise itself.
We must realize to the full how great
the task is, and how many things,
how many kinds and elements of ca
pacity and service and self-sacrifice
it involves"
If any of you think that this war
is going to be anything like a Dutch
picnic you are badly mistaken. The
German war lords against whom we
are contending have thrown all sense
Of honor, decency and humanity to
the winds. Their system of warfare
up to the present has been not only
against their legitimate foes, the ar
mics of the Allies, but they have
trampled upon the sacred rights of
neutral nations; and the frightful
atrocities that they have perpetrated
against non-combatants and innocent
women and children simply begger
description. l wish you could have
heard the speech delivered in st.
Louis last week by Frederick C. Wal
colt, banker of New York City, who
spent several months in Russia and
Belgium after the German war ma
chine had passed through those strick-
en- countries. In an impassionate tone
of voice he narrated facts to which
he was an eye witness and l tell you
there was not man among the
twelve hundred men to whom he
spoke, men who are not easily moved
to tears, whose eyes were not red with
weeping and whose hearts were not
fired with holy indignation against
those who are responsible for the aw-
full misery, the woeful suffering, the
unspeakable agony, the frightful
death brought to thousands of I'M
fortunates simply because they were
the aged mothers, the devoted wives,
the loving daughters, the innocent
babes of the men who are arraved