The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-11-17
Made Stirring Address at Eiks' Hail
Last Evening for War Work
of All the Organt-
cations
NOBODY TO BE EXCUSED
Must Win This War or We May Lose
Our Liherties-Payins a Debt
We Owe to Heroic
France

4 patriotic meeting, held in the
Elks' hall last evening, was addressed
by Judge Martin J. Wade Hazen L.
Sawyer presided, and introduced the
speaker in a brief but pointed speech.
Miss Martha Baldwin led the ad0l-
ence In singing a part OF The star
Spangled Banner
The meeting was in the interests OF
the war work being done by the dii-
ferent organizations OF the country,
the Y. NJ. c. A., the K c., and the 4,
Nv. C. A., and more particularly. the
latter.
One OF the strong points OF Judge
Wade's speeches is his plea for mar
mony in this war work-the putting
aside all the bubbles, quarrels ana
debates over creeds and politics and
uniting heart and soul in our efforts
! to win In this great struggle. The very
| fact that the speaker VINO is member
of the Catholic church, was speaking
!! in favor OF the Y. NJ. G. a. and the Y.
| W. C. A, showed that he meant what
( he said.
/ 1t was a great speech, full Of patri-
| otto thought and feeling, urging and
lexhorting the people who cannot fight
TO do their bit Some OF the thoughts
expressed are epitomtzed below:
America has scarcely begun to real
lie that this is the most tragic hour
the world has ever known. Tonight,
while We are happy in our pleasant
surroundings, over there men are out
lin the cold and muddy trenches, sur.
Grounded by q very inferno OF shot and
bomb, curtains OF fire and poisonous
Igases. Over there happy homes have
been swept away, centuries old sane
Ituaries destroyed and women and
children suffered great indignities,
even death itself.
| Into this terrible maelstrom, our be-
iloved country has been drawn. AL
Iready our boys are on the fighting
lime, the advance guard Of millions yet
to go. Already our flag is there, and
please God it will stay there until the
principles 1t stands for are estab-
ilished for all the world.
We will get nowhere to argue and
bubble as to why we are there or
Ito complain OF and criticize the adj
ADMINISTRATION. The time for this is
| past, and it only remains for us to
act. When the American congress on
April 6 last, passed the war resolu-
ton, the time for discussion closed.
Men who talk against war now are
only giving aid to the enemy.
| The president was slow to go into
1.-THE war. With patience and earnest
ness he sought in diplomacy to avert
the storm. Meanwhile Germany was
| violating international law and muir
derfng our citizens on the high seas.
Time and again he warned the German
empire, and he secured a promise
from them to desist from their ruth
less warfare When the imperial Ger
man government treated this promise
as a scrap of paper" and plotted to
give part Of our country to Mexico,
tpatience ceased to be q virtue, and he
acted. In honor he could take no 9TH
er course.
Not Democrats War.
Critics have said that this is a
democratic war. How can they say
this when we see the three great
LEADERS of the republican party, Roose-
welt, Taft and Hughes backing the
president with all their might?
The history Of the race is one long,
sad story Of war, and nearly all the
bloodshed has been caused by those
who would uphold the divine right of
kings. In all this time men have
e thousand hillsides in the old world
the bodies of men and women have
crumbled into ashes because they
wished to worship God in their own
way. They have rotted in dungeons
with clanking chains about them be-
cause they would be free.
| But despite the struggles. the hero
ism and the death of millions on the
altar of liberty, there was never a