The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-09-04
RUIN OF LABOR'S
FUTURE IS The
aim OF GERMANY
SAYS EDWARDS
Preacher, in Island Park
Address, Points Out Es-
sentials of War Policy

Rev. William Edwards, delivering
a patriotic address before a large
audience at Island park Sunday aft
ernoon made the assertion that the
browning Jewel of Americas glory
is the American workingman.
Our entrance into the war;" said
Rev. Mr.. Edwards, lis not because
we wish or can make democrats of
all the people of the world, but we
are in the war for the maintenance
of American labor, American honor
and American progress.
Regardless of the fact that we
had entered into honorable treaties
with Germany, guaranteeing our
commercial rights on the sea, when
we were neutral ana Germany pre-
tended to be our intimate friend,
she clandestinely assailed ships
carrying our manufactured goods
on the high seas, destroyed both
cargoes and Sailors, leaving our
manufacturers to bear the loss OF
their property.
Planned Ruin For Future.
I'VE entered the war as an ally Of
England, France and Italy for the
expressed purpose of opening the
waterways Of the world TO American
commerce and opening in every
country of the world of an open
market for American produce and
American manufactures. The crown
ing crime of the German council Of
Berlin IS this: That under the
guise of neutrality and friendship 1t
assalled our commerce, planned to
destroy our manufactures and there
by rum the future Of our working
! men.
so this war Is against the Ger
man. policy of walking backward into
the high German language, but 1t Is
the consolidation OF the English
speaking race with those who have
cognate roots of language such as
the Swede, Norwegian, hollander and
others. All were Teutons by origin
and development but though leu
tons of the low German type, they
refuse to be Teutonized by the pro-
gram of the present German en-
pire into a high German autocracy
to the destruction of English liter
ature, English development and
English progress.
You say that want your boy to
be a soldier and to shed his blood
upon the battlefield Of Europe. see
no grander sight than the young
noble hearted men of Company b,
who have enlisted and are drilling
TO make themselves efficient for the
defense of these United States Of
ours. oh. no, | do not wish them to
go alone for if it be deemed prudent
by the authorities that / should go
with them as a chaplain to the field
of battle / am content TO go to min
lister in every way to their comfort
and II perchance any enemy ball
should strike this body of mine,
what would it matter. / would only
| be an atom in the grand galaxy OF
American devotion and patriotism to
the worlds welfare.
The constitution would still be in
Washington, the Stars and Stripes
| of our country would still wave and
a government by the people and for
the people would continue and
abound in virtue, in intelligence and
in progress, to educate and to bless
the world. We cannot lose in this
battle for we are humanitarians as
we'll as aggressors on the side Of per-
sonal rights.
I'VE want each nation to be so re-
habilitated that Austria shall not
have nine nationalities and Ian
| guages to rule over, and hold SOW
tIGABhAy ONCI 44AA5~Ay "ASAA SASAAN
nationalities, but that each shall
find a home in the land of his origin
and be guaranteed hfe,\ liberty and
independence in accordance with in
ternational law.
Self-ruls For All.
I'VE demand that the German en-
pire shall cease to rule the Poles.
There are 169, 636 Poles who speak
both German and Polish, but there
are in Germany and under German
rule 3,0S6,4S who speak only Polish.
We demand that Finland be given a
place with Sweden and iceland be
associated with the Scandinavian
peninsula.
I'VE desire to prevent any block
aiding of Swedish, Scandinavian or
Dutch rights in the waterways lead
ing to their nations. 1t is the ambi-
ton of our country not to rule the
world, but to teach the world the
lessons of life, liberty and independ-
ence as known and felt by the new
est nation on the globe, of a hundred
and fifteen millions of intelligent
human beings, who seek not person
al ACKNOWLEDGMENT, but the elevation
Of mankind to an honorable posi-
ton of prosperity and a peace which
is the result Of the humiliation Of
autocracy, superstition and demo-
goguery-'and the Star Spangled
Banner in triumph shall wave DER
the land of the free, and the world