Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-11-30
Lewis to Arouse Patriotism.

The neighborhood committee just
organized under the auspices OF the
Illinois state council Of defense, has
arranged for its initial patriotic dem
onstration Monday night OF next week
at Augustana college gymnasium
having engaged the largest auditor
ium in the county in order that the
big outpouripg Of people looked Tor
will be afforded seating accommoda-
tions.
The neighborhood committee en-
braces the whole Of Rock Island
county. In each township there is a
local committee which sees that the
various activities directed by the state
council of defense are carried out and
reports to headquarters in this city
any indifference OH the part OF citi-
zens in the matter Of patriotic duty
or any traitorous movements. Inc
neighborhood unit IS expected to
prove the most effective plan yet
adopted by the government for put
ting down sedition and for arousing
the citizenship to a proper attitude
with reference to the war and its COM
MEX responsibilities none Of which the
individual citizen can escape If he be
true to the nation under whose flag
he is obtaining protection.
II Is fitting that the committee
should have selected Senator James
Hamilton Lewis OF Illinois to deliver
the chief address at the first gather
ing next Monday evening. The sen
ator has been one Of the mainstays Of
the administration since the declara-
ton of war against Germany in rally
ing Americans and in making it IN
comfortable for those who would likt
70 see the kaiser emere .-or from
the struggle across IL as. In al
address in Chicago last Saturday nigh
Mr.. Lewis declared that there should
he no further half measuring in deal
ing with traitors in the United States
He didn't believe in a nation losing 1T
head. and he was sure that the United
States could never be accused of hav
ing handled seditionists without dut
consideration for the laws that pro
tect human life in this country, bu
II was his conviction that the time hat
arrived for enforcement Of the seem
ing only remedy that viii blot on
the outrages that are being perpe
trated against this country by tn
agents of the German empire. Tha
remedy, the senator said, was tn
death penalty. He wanted to see tn
SPY, as soon as he was discovered an
his guilt proved, led before a firm
squad. He wanted to make this tn
fate of every individual detected i
any conspiracy against the Unite
States government. The senator sal
not any other nation in the worl
would have held its composure +
dealing with the traitor and the sp
as long as has the United States.
was time that we throw aside til
cloak of charity and show ourselve
the red-blooded. determined natio
that we really are. Our weakness o
the traitor question, the senator bC
lieved. had already cost us dearl
through enlightenment of the kaiser
henchmen. among whom the impress
sion prevails that the worst the
would suffer for their crimes.
caught, would be brief prison ser
fences. The Argus from the first ha
taken the position assumed by Ser
ator Lewis When the traitor know
that he goes before a firing squad
he is found out there will be motto,
able decrease in pro-German conspil
acies in this country, but not till the