Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-07-11
NOT QUITE AWAKE

wv LIZ y QulLe awake Z some OF the COnQ1uOnS
which confront us. If often requires a severe shock to
bring us to a realisation of actual facts. It is difficult
for us to realize, for instance, that our country is actual
iy engaged in war. We are levying troops, and imposing
war taxes, and sending soldiers abroad. But the soil of
our country has not actually been invaded by the armed
Forces OF an open enemy, and in the absence Of some
concrete evidence Of that kind, we are disposed to re-
gard this war, SO far as our country is concerned, as a
sort Of paper war. a game to be decided by the prepon-
darance of points, rather than the awful ana bloody
thing that 1t is.
We have read until we are stated Of slaughtered
men. and ruined cities. and ravished women, and tor
tured children. We have come to regard these things
az the accomplishments of war, and because they nave
not come to us, in our own land, we have a feeling that
in some way we are immune from the tragedies which
befall other people. Presently more of our men will be
at the battle front, and we will begin to receive news Of
the death Of this one. and the wounding OF that. and.
little by little, we may reach the conception that we are
actually at war, engaged in the same war that is testng
the vitality of other nations. and safe from some of its
greatest horrors only because we are able, and so long
as we are able, to keep the fighting on the other side Of
the ocean instead Of right in our own cities and upon our
own grain fields:
Similarly, we are a little slow to realize, when men
talk sedition, when they denounce government. when
they espouse the cause of men whose occupation liz vio-
lence and whose profession is the breaking of law-we
are a little slow to realize that in all Of this there is
something which concerns us and concerns us vitality.
We have heard mouthy agitators before. We have
known something Of the wild utterances of anarchists
ana the like. We have been accustomed to look on and
listen with some little mild indignation, it may be, and
often with a sort Of amused liberation, believing that
those who were engaged in work of this sort would soon
talk themselves out, and that no great harm would
come of II. Just what harm has come of it cannot dehn-
itely be known. But at any rate we have, as a rule,
been able to go our several ways, and there has been no
Visible Interference with CUP freedom of action.
Had our people been thoroughly awake to the con-
dshons which confront us in this state, a thousand
Grand Forks people would not have remained away
from the polls on Tuesday. A similar proportion of the
Fargo voters would not have stayed at home. A fac
tional quarrel in a political party, plus the desire to send
70 congress one who, if he were lucky, would be classed
as a local man, would not have placed the city of
Fargo in the Socialist column. II we have been thor
oughly awake we would not have permitted the voting
power OF those DESTROYS of protecting the state and the
disloyalty to the government Of the nation to be divided
between two or among several candidates for Office.
We have been going along easily and comfortably.
We have been secure, and we have assumed that our
security must continue without effort on our part.
Presently we will arouse ourselves, and when we do we
VIII be shocked to learn what chances we have taken,
and to what risks we have subjected ourselves.