The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1917-06-28


Germany for two Fundamental rea-
sons. For one thing, the present war
from the beginning has been essen
tally conflict between democracy
and autocracy, and nation. "con-
ceived in liberty" as America was,
cannot look uncaring upon the tri-
umph of autocracy anywhere. In the
second place, we are fighting for the
maintenance of human rights on the
high seas. The sea is the public
road of all nations. No country has
Il right to make it unsafe for people
to travel the high seas of water, just
as no man has a right to make 1T un-
safe for other men to travel our high
ways of earth.
One of my good friends said," am
not in favor of fighting Germany un-
til she comes within the three-mile
limit of our Atlantic Coast Such
a policy would mean the surrender Of
fundamental American rights and even
human rights. Suppose two neigh
bors should get mad with each other,
and one should say to you and your
neighbors, eff any one of you travels
the public road passing by my house
you do so at your peril, and ] will
dynamite without warning every wag-
on, automobile, or buggy see coming
on that road, regardless of whether
Kill you, your innocent wives, your
,l,, bah lt.kl m
at the mothers breast.
If such threat were made, it is
easy enough to imagine what you and
your neighbors would do. If you
lived in an organized, civilized COM
luunity, you would have the man
seized as criminal, restrained from
his purpose, and punished for any eX-
ccution of his threat. On the other
hand, if you lived in an uncivilizcd,
frontier community, such as the
"Wild West" was fifty years ago,
you and the rest Of the people would
| Join together to fight that barbarian
until he respected the common rights
of humanity. And then in recogni-
tion of supreme need, you might
set up constablcs, courts, sheriffs.
and jails to prevent any such defiance
, Of human rights in future.
1t is just such a threat against hu-
man rights that Germany has not only
| made but has carried into execution.
! When she brutally sank the gallant
! ship Lusitania and sent to the bottom
of the sea scores of non-combatant
men and women, including moth
ers with little ones as innocent as
those who prattlc at your own fire
side tonight-whcn Germany did this
and a hundred other similar acts pre-
lviously outlawcd by the conscience of
mankind, she dyed her Macbeth hands
with murdercr's blood, which not all
her science and skill and boasted "cul-
ture" can ever wipe out.
! Now if the nations were properly
! organized, there would be some su-
Dreme authority that would restrain
and punish this murderer nation. lust
as courts and shcritfS now punish mur-
dcrcr-individuals. But since we lac!:
such League of nations to enforce
peace" it is the incscapablc duty Of
| America to join in the voluntary eff
! fort of other peoples to 90 up against
! Germany until she renounccs her
mudcrous threats and promises to
abide by the standards which Chris
! tendon has established.
And then there is one other thing
which all good Americans hope i'm the
final victory. Just as the outraged
citizens in the frontier community,
+ after fighting the outlaw, might set
up orderly government to punish all
! individual offenders in future, so we
| hope that the nations now allied
against Prussian brutality will not
/ rest until they have established a
League of Nations" whereby all the
peoples of the earth will unite their
military and naval strength for the
punishment of any individual nation
which again breaks or threatens the
worlds peace. EX-PrcSidcnt Taft is
head of Il nationwide organization
now working for the organization Of
such League of Nations, and Pres
idcnt Wilson has cloqucntly pledged
all the powers of his great Office to
the accomplishment Of the same end.
Moreover, in France, in England. and
in all the allied countries, men are in
Spircd by the same high vision. As
the great Frcnchman recently visit
ing America. NJ. Niviani, declares be
fore our own House Of Representa-
tivcs:
"And when By force we have at
last imposed military victory, our
labors will not be concluded. Our
task will be, | quote from the noble
words of President Wilson, TO organ
iZe the society of nations" We
will Shatter the ponderouS sword o'