Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1917-12-27

ton become an Offset of small proper
ton. The progressive issues of today
are of such mammoth Importance that
they are obviously beyond the COM
pas sof his peevish prejudices and
blasted personal ambitions.
| Senator La FoIIette's opposition to
| the espionage law is flat contradic-
ton of the institutions of military
! regime which is the essence of his
Patient Germany. We don't relish it
ourselves, Senator, but it is war ne
cessty which every patriot is willing
to endure.
His opposition to the CONSUMPTION
| law was a refusal to recognize the
right of a democracy 10 regard itself
as solicited unit in time of war. 1t
was personal---very. plea in defiance
of the common rights theory of denoc-
racy-aI quite in keeping with his
personal---very. attitude in declaring
himself opposed to prohibition. BY
that declaration on the floor of the
United States Senate he took his stand
on the side of booze. This puts him
in opposition on the most vital moral
and economic issue in the country to-
day. 1t more than offsets his advocacy
of the lesser progressive measure, the
referendum. 1t also stamps him def
initeIy as reactionary. AS progress
sive, La Toilette is in this crisis no.
torous false alarm.
Senator La Toilette either sees this
war through a Prussian periscope, or
else his vision is SO blinded by his OBJ
session against men who make money
in manufacturing war supplies that
he becomes a menace to cur national
welfare.
IL is true men make money in man
ufacturina munitions. 1t is proper for
a government to regulate the prices
of munitions. But it is most immoral
and most unpatriotie to oppose the
making of munitions or the shipping
of munitions to people who are fight
ing for their liberties because we may
not yet have control of those prices.
Garry the lame logic of La Toilette
into American history and it would
condemn every war we have ever
fought, and, what is more, the NUM-
tons which American manufacturers
are making today, with profit or with
out profit, are the munitions that are
exploding in the cause of liberty and
of peace. These shells are destroying
the hope of despotism; they are maxi
ing it possible for the nations of the
world to unite in one great confedera-
ton. They are making permanent
peace possible. Munitions which will
do that are good at any price. If self
ishness and greed be involved in their
making, that sordid side can and ought
to be corrected when these shells and
guns have done their high and holy
work of Kidding the world of Kaiser
ism and making possible Peace on
Earth and Good Will toward Men.
We paid friehtfuI prices FOR guns,
shells, uniforms, food and pretty near
ly everything else in the Civil War.
War graft was national scandal then.
But we all love Lincoln just the same.
Yet La Toilette and the few anaemic
souls who are adrft on the same sea
condemn Wilson for doing the very
thing that Lincoln did-naking the
best of the situation that confronts
him. Wilson sees great big humani-
tartan progressive job that MUST BE
DONE. And he goes ahead and does
it with the tools set before him. SO
did Lincoln.
America is a democracy. "A democ-
racy is tuned to peace. Despotism is