The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-10-24

''I"' "N NdNA 'dU klNt llll WCdpNU
And every $50 Liberty bond you |
shoot faster and farther than his opp
His speech in part follows
Fellow Americans AAcr traycrsing
thirty states IN every section of this
country, not only in the first Liberty
bond campaign, but in tins campaign,
lcel competent to say that 1t there are
those who believe that America is not
awake, that the spirit OF democracy and
Ot patriotism IS not pregnant IN this
land they are very badly mistaken
The American people know that they
are in a great war ot sclfprcScrvstlou.
for the protection OF their vital rights,
as well as for the vlndlcatlon nt the
democratic principle throughout the
world
Kaiser First Violator.
Before this war broke out in Europe.
1t had been recognized everywhere
throughout the civilized world that no
merchant ship should be sunk by an
enemy war vessel unless the lives OF
the passengers the unarmed and de
tcnSclcss men women and children, had
first been secured So inlleNlble is that
rule that It has never been disregdrdcd
by any civilized nation until the Ger
man kaiser cssaycd to violate it
/ Why IS the rule SO lmmulablc2 Why
, is IT that an lniraction OF IT shocks hu-
manlty' ! can illustrate it better by
bringing it home TO you IN this way
I suppose Cand ! am gong to suppose a
very impossible case) that a German
/ army had successfully invaded the Unit
ed States and had captured an Amcri-
can city Suppose that the population
7 was standing upon the streets looking
with horror and anxiety upon the in
/ vadlng host and wondering what their
fate was to be--old men, Young men,
women, children, babies all unarmed
and making no effort TO res t. Sup
pose that the commander OF that rcgi-
mcnt had ordered it to halt and fire
into those unarmcd people Many would
have been killed others would have
/ been wounded others would have fled
! and would have been able to save
their lives Why Because they were
on land Some OF the wounded undouht
edly would have recovered their live,
would have been saved because they
could have been taken TO hospitals and
nursed back to life again
Then the Ulumatum.
The climax came when, on the thirty
first day OF January last we received
notice from the kaiser that on and after
that date no American ship and nc
American citizen should be permitted tC
enter a zone Of the high seas about 50C
miles in width surrounding the grea
nations of Britain, Belgium, France
and Italy He undertook to say tC
America that she should not sail hcr
ships upon the high seas, One Other
nation told us that in 1872. What wa
the answer, Weak as we were at thai
time, and powerful as the nation wa'
which then challenged our rights, w
went to war and vindcated America
right TO the freedom OF the seas We
vindicated Americas right to the free
dom of the seas, right we have man.
tanned nviolate up to this time, and a
right we never intend to surrender al
the order of any alien despot, care moi
under what flag he claims to sail
Why is that right so essential tc
Americas life and security as a nation
1t is because We have always producec
more than we can consume al home
Add the very prosperity OF our people
their very life, in fact, depends upor
their ability at all times 10 sell tha
surplus in the open markets of N,
world Unless we have the unrestricted
and unmolested freedom OF the seas II
the peaceful pursuit Of commerce, ther,
would be ruin in this land, from on,
end to the other This nation coulC
never be prosperous without it,
How U. S. Was First Affected.
can illustrate that to yousby wha
happened Immediately upon the outbreak
OF the war in August, 1914 The frs
effect was. OF course, TO paralyze ship
ping everywhere. Every German, ever,
British. every French ship Scurried tC
the first friendly port and refused t
| RO Vlls U'lN NNlN 'iNlNlhllt ''lN'0'' "i''
French raiders at sea, and naturally IN,
merchant vessels did not want 70 taxi
any chances Our own vessels, an,
there were very few Of them at tina
time, were also refusing to sail The
did not know Just what the condition
were going to he. they did not want t.
risk any OF the uncertainties OF tn
I situation The cotton crop of the soutl
b. was Just maturing. and was about 4
be marketed
We produce each year in this countr
something like twelve million 10 ili
81 teen million bales OF cotton, and a
o. least seven million bales OF that cottol
. must find a market IN foreign ooun
tries, principally in Great Britain
France and Belgium So that wit
i the congestion OF shipping and the IN
6 ability to get transportation across IN
high seas, the effect upon the cotto
, market was Just the same, as the teSul
OF that declaration of war, as II b
4 some superior force our own ships ha