The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1917-06-08
THE WORLD WAR AND WHY WE
ARE lin IT.

AMI AAf
Last week the Advocate sought tC
impress upon it's Readers the prime
pressing necessity of aiding the Gov
ernment towards speedily securing
the necessary money required to meet
the crisis of war expenditures cast
Hpon it by the atrocious action and
practices of Germany. And 1t brleHy
assigned some of the reasons why any
hating or delay would be attended
with disaster vitality affecting the
country.
Our people have been SO long in
the possession and enjoyment OF peace
and plenty that they have drifted and
came to believe that present cOndl-
tiOns will last always. But how
dangerous and fatal lit may be- this
state of mind is, can now be readily
seen by the present revolutions ana
wars the whole world over. Except
ing a few minor states towards our
south and Norway, Sweden, Spain,
Holland and Switzerland in the Euro
pean belt-all feeble helpless states,
the rest of the world is now In
frenzied conflicts, in one form or des-
DeratIon or another. Whilst these
European states mentioned, are not
actually in arms, they are enduring
the fortunes of helpless siave-states
i'm the daily losses of their people,
ships, commerce and food. Each and
all five, stand paralyzed and petrlhed
by fear, lest their fate too be like
brave little Belgium's, stamped over
and destroyed by the iron heel OF
ruthless Germany. The same lndlg-
mites and deprivatiOns offered by
Germany to these small weak states
of Europe audaciOus Germany offered
us; and after more than two years
of parleying and protest by our Gov
eminent, and the earnest and begg-
ing expostulations of President Viii
son, Germany finally announced to us
that she would not sink occasionally
a. ship like the Lusitania and drown
our men, women and children, but she
would not permit an American ship
Of any kind-steam or sail-t0 naVl-
gate the oceans of the world except
by her permission. That the seas
we're to be henceforth German-seas
and under German dominion; and
that all international laws of the
earth were to 60 too to the bottom
of the seas for Germany DEGREES it.
And this fiendish hellish threat the
Prussian or German Kaiser put in eff
feet on the LIST day of February, 1917,
against every nation Of the EARTH bel
ligerent or neutral. owning a ship
Big enough to venture upon the open
seas by his submarines or Water-con-
cealed viperS of destruction. And thus
day in and day out, and through the
darkness of night, for the past four
terrible months have the engulping
seas been daily-nay, perhaps hourly
swallowing men, women and chill
dren OF all creeds and nationalities
indiscriminately and without an emo
tion of mercy on the part OF the
pirates, or solace of any kind, to
satiate the holy wrath" of a Ger
man God" as he is pleased to call
himself
After the announcement OF this
heIlfsh program of piracy and murder
President Wilson appeared in person
before the Congress of the United
States, in joint body assembled, and
declared that he "cOuId not believe it
until it we're DONE" Nor did our peace
pleading President have long to wait.
For on the very day set, Germany I'M
leashed her pack of hell-houndo to
prey upon, murder and destroy human
lives, ships and trade of whatever ma
ton or peoples, offending against her
will 1t can be affirmed, without any
sort Of question, that no such breach
of divine or human laWs-pagan or
christian-eyer before stained and
outraged the pages OF human history.
And, Reader, this satanic scheme is
at work this instant whilst you are
reading an account of it. On the End
day of April, 1917, the President again
appeared at the Capitol, before the
same Representatives of this great
Republic of America, and spoke to
them and through them to all peo-
pie of the land, that, after years OF
lorg anxious prayerful pleadings and
efforts, in the cause Of peace, he and
the Government had failed to move
Imperialist Germany to recognize
American Rights,-either in the pro
lection Of their lives or their property
that both had been defied, taker
and destroyed; and that at last {
state OF war must be recognized t.
exist between the United States ant
Germany, and OF Germany's own max
ing; and that there was nothing elst
70 do but accept the gauge OF battle