Meade County news., 1917-08-02
What Is Americas Duty To
Its Allies And To ItsseIf In
The War For Democracy

have moved with amazing swiftness
We have taxed ourselves billions
We have loaned our allies hun
.dreds of millions.
We have taxed ourselves to builc
one of the worlds greatest navies
We have undertaken to feed, f.
nance, fuel, mu.ition, and supply
our allies.
We have taxed ourselves to provide
ships to transport all needed supplies
and to overcome allied losses thru
U.boat ravages.
We will tax ourselves many hun
dreds of millions to build aircraft
and to train aviators to help over
come the common enemy.
We have resorted to conscription
of our young manhood to build up a
great army.
All this seemed necessary. The
people in general, have approved the
war program of the president and
congress thus far, to "make the
world safe for Democracy"
Our fancied isolation is gone. Our
dream of universal peace is dissipat-
ed. We are In the world war and of
it. We are an inseparable part of a
war-mad world of nations. Wheth-
er we like it or not, the United States
is driven, for self-protection, to be-
come STRONG MILITARY MA
TION,
We see now that until the world
tires of war and finds a way to last
ing peace, we must be strong enough
to KEEP AMERICA SAFE FOR
DEMOCRACY.
The people of this ree ublic, we be
lieve, are willing to make every nee
essary sacrifice to accomplish Amer.
ica's legitimate purpose in this war
w are not sure however, that they
know just what this legitimate pur-
pose Is. We are not cure that
THEIR representatives, in charge
of THEIR government, are entirely
clear as to just what we ought to do
OF how far we ought to go.
So it might be well, at this stage
of the ear game, for all of US to stop
long en0agh to size odrselvesup and
see where we stand, and find out
what we agree is our duty to our
ALLIES and to OURSELVES
One duty is to supply from our
surplus afthc needs of our allies.
Their chief pressing needs, We are
informed, are ships, money, food,
munitions, fuel, and supplies. We
are supplying the money by billions
We are going to build ships to the
limit of our capacity. We have
entered upon a national conservs-
tion policy that there may be food
for them. We are furnishing allthe
munitions they want befond their
own manufacturing capacity. We
will supply fuel if deed be.
Do they need soldiers too1
Are the ranks of our allies so de
pleted that it is our duty to rush to
Europe a million unframed, unseas-
oned soldiers?
If the urgent need of our allies is
ships, more ships, and still more
ships to haul provisions and supplies
will we have ships enough to trans
port also million American soldiers
and the food, supplies, and munit
ions thep will need2
If 1t takes two years training and
seasoning to make a trench hghte'
of an English lad, won't it take jus'
as long to make an American boy
fit for fghting9
And couldn't we furnish our allies
ships, more ships, and still more
ships with less strain if we trained
our boys to fight right here In Amer
lea and hauled food and supplies tC
them on railroads instead of ships
If our allies have shot their bolt
if they have run out of seasoned
soldiers,-if England has sent t.
France all her soldiers who are tit t
fght-if France and Italy have use'
up their available reserves-why
then. perhaps. the need of our sol
diers on the western front is'urgent
But if England still has severa
million fit reserves-if France ha
one million and Italy two million
tnen war economy in the commo
allied cause would suggest that I"
feed, train, season, supply and othe
wise CAFE for our own soldiers her
in America until they are ac'uall
necded,abroad.