Arizona republican., 1917-09-23

 popular support of the high-minded leadership expressed in the presidents war message Of April End. The sue cess of the Liberty Loan. once it was popularly understood, the national military registration and the Red Gloss subsci iplioIi, 70 Say notilIng o. the pressure Ct congress to pass the necessary war measures, all tend to- ward the belief that the nation as a whole is ready for the test. And now, more specifically, this meeting indicates to me the desire on the palI ot indiv dual truck owners to d. their share But there is one sug- gestion I should like to leave With you. As representatives of individ- ual business houses, you have sep 4fate interests to develop. As mem bers Of given communities, however, you, as truck owners, can do much to help in this national crisis by sub merging your individual interests in those of the communities you repre- sent. With this end in view, 1 urge you to become affiliated with, or start clubs for truck owners, such as the Motor Truck Club of America, the Motor Truck Association of Philadel
 phia or similar organizations in other cities. In this way you can do many i things in the public interest that you could not do as individual owners. | For example, such associations may be very helpful in fostering the good | roads movement, and in promoting wise legislation for the use of pres ! ent and future highways. They may serve as starting point for the at i tempt to avoid useless and wasteful ! duplication of effort in deliveries | And they have already proved their value in collecting and giving out valuable suggestions for the more ef ficient maintenance and operation of i trucks by their owners.
 '"To the average easy going Amer
 ican, this must be time of read
 justment to meet war conditions, Those who, like myself, have come in contact with official Washington at close range for the past few
 months, have noticed lately, a de-
 cided change in the attitude of the dcpartments-a seriousness of dispo- sition and a so0ering of judgment, due to the facts disclosed during the
 recent visit of the high commissions I of the allies. Our officials are now proceeding on the assumption that ! France and England having reached the high water mark of their miii- tary strength through sacrifices of the most heroic nature, and Russia,
 distraught with grave internal prob ! lems, not to be counted upon for some time for vigorous, sustained, offensive action, we must furnish the
 men and sinews to finish the war, and that it will take from three to
 five years to do it. MT. Lucius B.
 Swift of Indianapolis, in his excellent
 A v. JtAt ta L- land" forcefully expresses the atti-
 shock of this war first broke upon
 us: The first questions which ought
 to have come into the mind of Amer
 ica were-''What if the kaiser should
 win?' Standing at the head of a
 victorious army, his treasury burst
 ing with war indemnities, with France
 bled white, as he promised, and Eng
 land reduced to the condition of Hol-
 land. where will be left battle ground
 for liberty except here in America
 and who will be left to fight that
 battle except America alone?' The answer to these questions should have
 been that the allies were not only fighting the battle of democracy against absolutism, but that they were
 fighting our battle and that no
 
 upon us to throw in our whoi, strength upon their side
 Gradually the fundamental issues in this struggle are beginning to per
 colate into the minds of those who al first were indifferent to it, and chose to avoid the unpleasant task of think ' ing it through. It is at last becom , ing apparent to Americans that, as , Mir Swift says, Such acts as tn. l sinking of the Lusitania, the murder r of Edith Cavell and Captain F'ryatt : the enslavement of over 150000 Bel ] gians the desolation of France, tn, } brazen hoisting of the black flag O t the pirate and the frightful display by { the German general staff of will an( , power to do these things in the fac,
 of civilization constitute a menace l to all free institutions. and that thu , world must be made safe for democ l racy Not long ago the Akron Cham Der of Commerce was honored by ; :, most inspiring and impassioned ad