Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-05-31

Nhdi Sc bCiouSlub 10 bthti'fH tAA"4A - I
given to every citizen to protect his .
property against the assaults OF those /
who have no rights thereto. On the +
question of neutrality. we have osld /
munitions of war TO England and To
France and to Germany. We welcom-
ed the Deutschland and its valiant I
crew who ran the allied blockade and /.
came into our ports on the errand OF
peace and sent her forth again with
Godspeed and good wishes and the
frank admiration which one brave
people will pay to another
in the same sense We claimed our
right to sell to the Frenchman and
the Englishman when his boats reach
ed our docks and in this we acted
no different from the rule which We
followed in 1871 during the Franco
Prussian war. We sold to both France
and Prussia. When England was en-
gagged in her wars in South Africa
with the Boer Republics, Germany fur
nished to the enemies OF England mu-
nitions of war which they needed To
prolOng that war. Does any man
question that during the Spanish War
when this nation was AT arms with
Spain that Germany furnished to our
enemies the munitions of war And
later and in our present day our toru-
bles with Mexico are largely due TO
the intrigue of those representatives.
of the German Government located
at Washington in friendly intercourse
with the Government of this country,
while at the same time stirring up
/ discord with this people to the South
| do not say that Germany was al
fault alone. do not defend the ac-
ton of England in seizing our mails
and dfverting our merchant ships to
English ports under her claim of the
right OF search. | do not deny that
in years gone by England has not
been the friend of this country and
justly acknowledge the fact that Ger
many has been.
Il heard the German Ambassador,
lately given his passports, at Spring.
field three years ago deliver an ad-
dress on the anniversary of the birth
of the martyred Lincoln in which he
displayed a knowledge of American
history, customs, laws and ideals, and
in that speech he said that for more
than one hundred years, indeed ever
since the foundation of this govern.
ment, there had not been one note of
discOrd between the German govern.
ment and the United States. They
had never gotten into a serious dis
pute. However, true that may be,
and however we may wish that it were
not so, that England had not been our
friend when friendship was needed,
and however England may have vio-
lated our property rights, England did
not destroy the lives of our people.
She did not murder the men, women
and children who were upon our ships.
under the protection Of the American
flag, and Germany did So The cold
blooded murder of the men, women
and children on the Lusitania when
that passenger steamship was sunk
branded the ruling forces in Germany
as with the instinct of the savage
no massacre in the times of Indian
warfare was in the same class as the
sinking OF the Lusitania, the Indian at
least fought mans fight and there
was some chance of escape. Not so in
that tragedy, struck from below with
no warning, no chance of escape, they
went down to their death a mute and
, helpless sacrifice to the insane delu.
, sion of an autocratic ruler, who un.
der the sacrilegious claim of divine
right, promulgated the idea that
might makes right and because he
ana his government choose to call
that inhuman murder, an act of war
That was sufficient justification for the
dead. But the silent lips of the Lusi
lama dead have preached a sermon
against autocracy and monrchy that
unless | miss my guess will haunt the
Hohenzolleren family as long as a
member OF It survives. England may
have violated our property rights but
those can be measured in dollars and
cents and the life of no one American
can be.
This government was founded on
the rights of the individual to life and
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
1t has progressed ever since its foun.
datlon with that thought and idea in
view, 1t has been the foremost ma.
ton in the world which has given
credit to the ability of free men to
govern themselves If there is an
IDEAL represented by the American
commonwealth it is this ideal of gov
eminent OF the people, by the people