The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-09-10
IneoncIusive Peace Would Be a
Tragedy, Captain Leslie M.
Vickers Tells keokuk
Audience.
NOW HAVE UPPER HAND
Allies Are BIaetine Germans Out Of
France, Bit by Bit, and America
Must Not Become
Impatient.

Peace with victory will be the only
kind of peace acceptable to the en-
tente allies now, Captain Leslie M
vickers Of the Seaforth Highlanders
told huge Keokuk audience at the
Grand theatre, where he appeared
yesterday afternoon under the aus
pices Of the High Tension club fol
the benefit OF the Red Cross
1--WE don't want an inconclusive
peace" the speaker said, adding: ''Ii
our governments make a peace we
soldiers will go on with the war.
which brought forth great storm oil
applause.
An inconclusive peace would be a
tragedy now that the allies have
really the upper hand in the world
war and Germany Is about to be paid
for her many crimes. Captain Wick
ers touched on the conditions in Eng
land the first eleven months Of the
war, how that country had managed
to muddle through that first discour.
aging period with lack Of trained
men and officers and the shortage OF
guns and shells; told of his expert
ences in the trenches in which both
the gruesome and the humorous side
Of war was brought out, and closed
with glance at the war today.
He told the audience not to become
Impatient with the progress made by
the English and French, that al
though they were better prepared
now than the Germans, man for man
and gun for gun, yet 1t was long,
long business to blast the invader
put of northern France.
Is Slow Progress.
To-day we are better than the Ger
mans and we are hammering them
numerically and will continue to do
so, but the process is not a rapid
one. The Germans have to be exter-
minated bit by bit. and although the
great break may come. I do not adj
wise you to look for it too eagerly.
"The German Notifications are
built up mile upon mile behind the
first line" and the speaker went on
to tell OF the thirty foot deep Ger
man concrete dug-outs. the mile up
on mile of barbed wire and other OBJ
etructions that have to be blasted
out in the advance.
Some have said that a deadlock
exists and that peace must come be-
cause of it. without yicto:y to either
side I emphatically declare that no
deadlock exists. The English and
French are forging ahead at slow
but steady pace and there is no
thought of peace that doesn't give
sure victory"
The speaker saw in the entrance Of
the United States into the great con-
flict on the side of the entente allies
the final verdict on the rightness of
the cause for which they are fighting.
This verdict from a great Jury of
one hundred millions of people Of
every creed, race and color has Civ
en- us a great moral comfort and
strength that we value highly. in ad-
dition to the physical strength your
country brings"
CONSUMPTION Praised.
The speaker was highly pleased
with the spirit in which America en-.
tered the war. He praised conscrip.
ton and the big scale in which the
United States is preparing. He told
the audience the vision could not be
Too large, the preparations too great,
In his final summing up of the
war as it is today. Captain vickers
paid high tribute to Italy. He said
that Italy had been accused of hold
Ing off until she saw how she might
profit most by the war and that fail
ing at the start to make any impress
sion, had lain down on the job. He
disputed this view Of the case and
pointed to the great offensive Italy is
now waging on Austria and declared
that if the dual monarachy was
knocked out by this blow, peace was
In sight. Russia's part in the war was
also commended
Russia, in the early days of the
war, saved France and England from
defeat by throwing her forces into
East Prussia We. must be lenient
with her in her present condition.
ITO France comes the greatest
glory of all. France with her wonder
full heart. has given her men and
boys and children to the sacrifice
without complaint France has done
much in the past and will do much ID
the future. She will welcome you to
the conflict. In coming in now you
are helping to pay an old debt and
you will also relieve old men who
should not be in the trenches.
Credit to Belgium.
"A wonderful credit also goes to
little Belgium. think her king made
the finest decision in the world when
ne refused to let the German ilordes
pass through his territory. with a
ilttle tin army, he held back the kais-
ers hosts for three weeks and gave
france and England a chance to
throw their armies in the way of the
invader and defeat him.
We have taken pledge never to
sheathe the sword until Belgium is
tuiIy restored and indemnified.'
The speaker saw America profiting
Dy the mistakes of the other allies
and declared that this country was
preparing in the right way and also
PREPARING swiftly.
H any of You are slackers during