South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-12-16


no man dreamed OF 10 years ago, /
and, on the other hand. our simple /
minded peace lovers would have US
pose as the poor amateur stand /
mere, turn your head this way. put
your hands down at your sides"
say the German agents, and the |
purchased or infatuated peace pro- /
pagaRdists echo. Stand here, turn |
your head this way. put your hands
down at your sides" A fine future |
for the great American nose If we
did IL,
If America keeps her hands down |
she will be knocked not only into
the wings but of the stage and off
the earth. With America out of
the war, the best that can be hoped
/ Is drawn battle. ending with a
hands orr peace, and leaving Ger
many, as the saying is. "all dressed
up and nowhere to 60" Germany's
'all dressed up" will mean a Ger
many dressed in hardened. veteran
armies, in trained commanders, in
the finest possible military equip
ment, and with an untouched navy.
vast air force, and no one knows
how many submarines. The no
where to go" will mean Africa and
Asia. where Germany wanted 10
gain dominions. But there viii be
| one place where Germany, "all
/ dressed up" can go. She can come
Z to America. She can come to South
| America first. or to Mexico, and
/ that is where she will come and
| where she has planned TO come.
What happens when German
/ agents even partially convince a
! goOdly number Of persons that the
/ right way is to turn the cheek and
/ hold the hands down can be seen in
/ Russia. Russia is not a well-trained
actor. She would never get a job
| playing a Weber-Fields burlesque in
50 theater. She will not keep her
hands down when the German
agents tell her to put them down,
but she has lowered them once or
twice. Russia is far, far from hap
by.
I can not believe that any sane
person not in German pay can wish
| the United States TO become as Rus
STA is today, but that is exactly what
| will happen if we listen TO the
| German agents and put our hands
down now. Let me put il most
simply. The great body of Amer
leans believe today, as they should,
that our continued existence de-
ponds on our own military prepara-
ton. A small, nOxious body of
German agents and purblind peace
lovers are crying, Put our hands
down! Put our hands down!" Sup
pose 1 listen to the cry and begin
crying the same words. | am added
to their number. / cry, Put cur
hands down! Put our hands
down." You listen to me and are
added to the number. You echo the
cry. Suppose the majority of Amer
leans come TO that same way of
thinking. The majority rules and
we do put our hands down. We
stand with our arms hanging, our
faces exposed and wait. For what
No doubt the German agents will
be satisfied and pack their trunks
and go home to Germany. Merry
thought Hardly.
We have seen what the German
agents will do: they did it before
we entered the war and they would
do It if we backed out of the war
They would foment strikes. race
riots. class prejudice, and stir VI
national resentments. Having got
ten us out of the war against Ger
many they would try to get us in
TO a war with France. italy Of
I England. They would no longer b'
peace propagandists but war propa
| syandists, because we would be un
| armed and easy victims. The,
would create civil war if possible
They would use German money L
throw us into the state poor Russi;
finds herself in today. Then Ger
many would strike deienseless Soutl
America.
IL is my honest belief that Ger
many has had for many years tw'
alternative plans for conquest. From
Berlin she has drawn two lines, on
to the southeast through Salonk
- and 10 the orient, the other TO tn
southwest through Spain to Soutl
Z America She hoped England woult
y do the Weber Fields act and keel
\ her hands down while Germ. n
n armies stunned France, and the
\ she would leap on the orient an
n grasp a vast dominion there. Eng
y land did not keep her hands down
\ She Is not entirely a fool. That plal
y failed. 1t seems hopeless now.
n The other plan Germany will tr
y the moment she makes peace an,
y gets her breath, If her agents ca
\ persuade US to keep our hand
Y down
n don't like the war and yo
n don't like war We have every rea
n son to be a peaceful people. w
n have vast territory, the most fruit
n full and productive in the world: an
n warlike peoples have always bee
n those living in barren lands or VIII
n have been cramped into scant quar-
n tiers. II is never necessary TO preac
n the doctrine of peace 20 Americs
n because the natural state OF Amer
n lea is peace. America does nc
81 avenge insults that have becom
n unbearable or 10 protect herse
n against marauders. When the grea
81 visa naaca-lOyinp American peOpl