The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1917-10-12
Atty. Bentley to Senator La Toilette.


Attorney Fred w. Bentley, whose
son, Paul Cody Bentley, member Of
the Harvard University unit of ambu-
lance drivers, was recently killed in
France when a shell struck his ma
chine, sent letter to Robert NJ. La
Toilette, reading as follows:
my dear sir:
"You were born In Primrose town
ship, while [ was born in Albion town.
ship, a few miles away, about the same
time. You remember that we went to
school together; you may remember a
patriotic declaration you made at a
school picnic. You may remember
when Edwin Booth came to Madison,
when you were an undergraduate, and
played Macbeth and also played lago
in Othello.
''You may remember in your college
ideals how you determined to become
an actor the greatest in the world.
"You may remember how you were
triumphantly elected On your oratorical
supremacy; you will remember how
you entered our law class as post
graduate, and attended few times,
and were, as think, graduated.
FYou will remember how the people
of Wisconsin treated you as boy
there, and how many, including Sena-
tor Sawyer, became your patrons and
helped you to high places.
"A poor boy, made by his stage as
sociations, martyred Lincoln because
he thought the president tyrant. Can
it &c possible that you, with all of your
professions and experience, are now
seeking to martyr America as a tyrant
for the Hohenzollerns? What did Mac
Beth or Iago or J. Wilkes Booth ever
do TO make the world safe for parlia
mentarism?
Through my son I have made the
supreme sacrifice. He sprang from
the same sunlight openings of WiscOn-
sin as you. He was a college boy. His
hero was Venizelos, the Greek rebel
against the Hohenzollerns. His thesis
was that under present methods of
transportation the world is not big
enough to now admit of the two forms
of government, nor small enough to be
controlled by q hereditary cult Of Rob
Der Barons, and that William should be
hung and thus give sanction to inter-
national law.
81 wonder which Of you two, or any
of the others up there who will fall,
will be written first in the history Of
Dane county. He was only one of
some twenty-five hundred others edu
Gated in the first principles, to go to
the front. All Of them and others were
inspired with the same ideals in ad-
vance of their country's call.
''He realized that the business of the
United States was war and that war
was the busin ass of every individual.
/ in particular realize, since his fall,
that war is my business.
eff you were a senator in Germany
and doing the same for America as you
are doing for the Hohenzollerns, you
would face the firing squad. You say
you are for free speech.
''Is free speech virtue in battle? Ii
you as a senator have a license for free
speech after war is declared, everyone
believing in an hereditary imperialistic
form of government has the constitu-
tional right with impunity to debate
for the purpose of defeating America
in this war. As all the world is now at
war over the two systems of govern
ment it is the hour All who are for
the beast must face the firing squad
now.
cit is the hour. One and one-half
billion people are arrayed IN serrleC
battle front against William and his
system.
"Many Americans have died fol-
ideals, a few now, and great numbers
will in the future. 1t sounds well to
cry free speech at certain times, but
this cry is inappropriate, misleads the
multitude and causes death as our gil
gantic war machine proceeds.
mo speech is now appropriate ex-
cept that which leads to parliamentary
government and international law, with
the sanction that governing classes who
violate it shall be executed as inter
national criminals.
''Senator La Toilette, he who is
enemy to my country is enemy to me-
Every American says as long as yor
In war fight our commander-in-chie1
you fight me-
t'You are my enemy, and / am
Z IL