The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-09-15
AGITATORS AGAINST GOVERNMENT
! HELD AIDS OF GERMAN KAISER

everything that is being done TO car
ry on the war, are rendering more
effective service to Germany than
| they ever could render in the field
with arms in their hands," declared
the former secretary of state amid
cheers. 1T is impossible to resist
the conclusion that the greater part
of them are at heart traitors to the
United States"
Declaring that General Grant said,
let us have peace" only after" Lee
had surrendered, Mr.. Gompers as
serted that after kaiserism had sur
rendered, then we too win have
peace"
There can be no peace" he con-
tinued, while there is a Teuton on
the soil of France. There must be no
peace until they are driven from out
ragged Belgium"
The president of the American
Federation of Labor was interrupt
ed frequently by applause when he
detailed the plans laid by the gov
eminent for war insurance for SOL
diers and sailors, and its attempts
to make sure that the standards of
American home life shall not be
lowered.
Judge Jacob M. Dickinson presided
as chairman in the absence of Gov
ernor Frank o. Lowden, who tele-
graphed his regrets as follows:
springfield is the storm center Of
Illinois just now and / must remain
at my post. The great majority of
workmen here are loyal, but sinister
influences are at work to involve
labor in a hostile attitude toward the
government. We must separate these
two forces. To do so we must give
larger recognition to loyal labor or
CARNATIONS such as those repre-
scented by Mr.. Gompers. Above all,
labor and capital are equally inter
ested in maintaining internal order
while the war is on. It will do no
good to win battles abroad If we
cannot maintain peace at home"
Fronted by a hedge OF glistening
bayonets. carried by a detachment of
national guardsmen. the speakers
addressed a crowd which rivaled any
national convention throng that ever
filled the Coliseum, both in size and
vociferous enthusiasm.
Root Defines Traitors.
In defining the attitude of citizens
toward the conduct Of the war and
incidentally what constituted being a
traitor, Elihu Root said:
THE declaration of war between
the United States and Germany COM
pIeteiy changed the relations of all
the inhabitants of the country to
the subject Of peace and war.
Before the declaRation everybody
had a right to discdss in private and
in public the question whether the
United States should carry on war
against Germany. Everybody had a
right to argue that there was no suf-
hcient cause for war. that the con-
sequences Of war would be worse
than the consequences of continued
peace, that II would be wiser to sub
NIT to the aggressions Of Germany
against American rights; that 1t
would be better to have Germany
succeed than to have the allies sue
coed in the great conflict.
But the question of peace or war
has now been decided by the presi-
dent and congress. The question no
longer remains open. It has been de-
termined and the United States is at
war with Germany.
'"The power to make such a deci-
sion is the most essential, vital and
momentous of all the powers Of gov
eminent. No nation can maintain its
independence or protect it's citizens
against oppression or continue to be
free which does not vest the power