The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-04-19
READERS COLUMN
, Chicago, April Ii.

'H -
Editor Tribune, Bismarck, N. D.:
History tells of the bravery of the
Spartan mothers; history also tells
of the bravery and sacrifices of .our
own women and mothers in the val
of the Revolutionlof0 1776,, which gave
us our freedom and, made us a free
people,. and founded for a. government
on the principles Of the greatest goOd.
for the greatest number, which is de:
cidedly in contrast to Germany's rule
of-all things sacrificed that the
House of Hohenzollern may rule.
From our school days we have
known the poem of barbara Fritchie:
"ShOot. if you must, this old gray
head, but spare my coun,ry's flag, she
said.' In contrast with that, what
is North Dakota showing us today
when if we are to have a country we
must stand for it?
Forty-eight states, in the United
! States with nincty-six senators. and
twelve of them standing out in this
great and free America for submits.
sion to tyranny. To doff the hat to
the would.be ruler Of the world. To
accede to the kind of autocracy that
caused our forefathers to leave the
old world and come here in primitive
times to build to themselves homes
and a life of moral and mental free
dom. and many of them fought, bled
and died to establish this government;
COnsecrated to that idea which we
have had the benefit OF all days.
If a man should spit in our face,
should we take off our hat to him
and say THANK you?ia Or should we
biff him, no matter how big he is, or
how consequential he thinks he is? If
we see a rObber going into u barn
to steal our cattle Or II goods, shall
we shut ourselves in the clothes Clos
ct until he has obtained what, he
wants and is gone, or shall we rush
out and do II utmost to drive him
off the place and protect our prop
erty? If we wake in the nigh. and
find a burglar in u room shall we
crawl under the bed and stay there
until he leaves the house, or shall we
up and at him? In other words, shall
we be men or mice? Shall we do our
duty, or shall we play the coward be-
cause mother does not want her boy
to fight? ...
Rather recommend me to Mrs.
John J. Mitchell, wife Of the president
Of m of the largest banks in Chi
! cago, who says:
II have three sons and if it shall
| seem necessary l am willing to give
them all to fight for their country"
I do not believe in any starting
war unless they have just cause, but
there are certain principles Of right,
certain principles of manhood, GER
tain principles of liberty. that some
times cannot be protected and upheld
in any other way. The world is now
at the fork of the road where the
question is:
Shall all men be slaves, or shall all
men be free?"
We have shown to the world for
| 140 years the enlightenment and ben
efts Of freedom; France has followed
in our footsteps; England. although
she has a king, he is a king in name
only, as England is ruled by men
chosen by the people; China has
made of herself a republic; Russia
has declared for freedom, but If Ger
many should win in this war there is
no show for freedom In any country
which she shall conquer, and In q
case like this 1t makes a real man
shudder to think, In my judgment,
that men whom We have elected to
protect the honor Of the United