Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-06-18

despotism which assumes to govern
them-a belated survival of mankind's
age-old enemy the cruel and arrogant
spirit of autocracy, which soon. please
God, is utterly to vanish from the
earth
More is concerned in this titanic
struggle than the life of any nation. 1t
has become a world conflict for that
freedom of self-governing democracies
of which our flag is the supreme tok-
en- among mankind. The Allies are
fighting for civilization against despo-
tism. With the battle finally joined
upon this issue our flag would droop
in the breeze if withheld ingloriously
from the conflict.
Our Battles Fought
Our Allies have Eeen fighting our
battles for nearly three years. Their
losses, their sufferings, their heroism,
their terrible sacrifices, have been for
us as much as for themselves. That
may not have been thoroughly cempre-
hended at the outset Of the war. but
who doubts it now? Who is there so
blinded as not to see the true and ac-
tual scope of German autocratic am
-
war all along. F'renchmen, Belgians.
Russians. Englishmen have died Tor
us Their people have become lmpoV-
erished for US. The horribly ruined
districts in northern France We're sac
rifices for u.s. France is full of blind
men. of mutilated men. men who nave
lost about all that makes life worth
while because they reared themselves
as a wall between the German hordes
and ourselves. These facts must be
lightning sharp to everybody in TINS
country.
I'VE have profted perforce from the
sacrifices and sufferihgs of these brave
allies. We have become the market
Mace of the world. The war has sent
great riches, great prosperity to our
country. Nearly three years of this
prosperity and security have been
vOuchsafed to the American people.
Now. at once, Immediately. there is
need for action with all of our re-
sources of men and money and SYM
pathy-and the last is scarcely less I'M
-portant than the first and second.
What are we going to do? 1t is up to
the American people.
Are the American people going to
let the rest of a liberty loving world
struggle and suffer for US and even
tually be stricken down, taking with
them in their fall the only barrier that
now stands between the Germans and
ourselves? These are no speculatlons'
thew are fact The crisis in this war
is at hand and the United States elst
play her part or prepare for such hu-
initiation as a free people never en-
dure-not even devoted Belgium
Our Duty
Our first duty is to enlist. Every man
of us that can set in. Those who can |
get in, must give. This IS no work Oh
charity. in the accepted sense, that we
are taking up. At the bottom is sheer
duty. At the bottom we are bound TO
pay some at least of the tremendous
debt of security and protection we have
contracted know Of no factor or IN
f1uence so Immediately important IN
the whole cause of defeating Germany
and .rescuing ourselves from real peril
than the plan which President Wilson
has put in motion for extending and
revitalizing the activities of the Amer
lean Rid Gross. Again l repeat: This
is not charity. Don't let anybody get
that idea for a moment. 1t is debt
paying We owe all that and vastly
more to the France that has poured
out her blood for us. 1t is the least We
can do while our armies of fighting
men are getting ready to serve in the
trenches. I trust / have made this big
point very clear that the big necessity
of the present is to finance the Red
Cross as literally as to give it the
chance to step into the gap and do a
grand work of upbuilding and inspir-
ing our allies while our soldiers are
being n1ohilized and trained.
The Russian Problem
A tremendous Russian problem con-
fronts the Red Cross. We have a debt
to pay to Russia as we'll as to France.
The situation as regards amelioration
of suffering on the long Russian battle
line is deplorable. On the whole 1000
miles of front there are only COCO ar.-
hulances, whereas in France, on
front of Acc miles, there are $4,000 am
balances. Succor must be rushed to
Russia. There are problems Of encour-
agement and of material aid confront
ing us there as great in their way as
await us in France. We must be up
and doing-all of us, every single
American. Our thought is>to go to Rus
STA with as much relief as we can as
sembe. THE heartening problem is
very pressing there. IS the whole coun-
try must understand by this time 1t
is especially necessary now that Rus
STA is in the throes of revolutionary
aftermath. I am firmly convinced that
the Russian democracy can be relied
on to keep it's head, to maintain what
it has snatched from autocracy, but it
must be helped. and helped quickly.
We are planning swiftly. though
there has been time only for tentative
programs. The main idea at the back
Of all planning is to stir the United
States to a heartfelt realization Of
debt and duty, to raise 800 0G0,0 900 more
rapidly than that amount was every
collected by voluntary subscription, to
assemble the best trained talent that
America possesses, to assemble the
great stores of supplies and provide
the ships, and then to start to Eu-
rope. especially to our French and Rus
sian friends. a stream Of help that will
never cease 10 flow, an unending rich
current of material and moral aid.
There are so many problems Of de-
tail that it is impossible to specify any
great number in this general defini
tion of Ped Cross aims One thing