Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1917-07-21

war On the battletlelds, IL the trenches
amidst the lurking dangers Of the sea,
or with the bereaved women and pitt
full children, before you viii come for
ward to do your duty and give some
part Of your life. in easy, peaceful
fashion, for the things we are fight
ing for, the things we have pledged
our fortunes. our lives, our sacred hon
or to vindlcate and defend-liberty
and justice and fair dealing and the
peace Of nations?
"Of course you viii not. 1t Is In
conceivable. Your patriotism is of the
same self-denying stuff as the pa
triotism Of the men dead or manned
on the fields Of France, or else it is
not patriotism at all.
Full Dollars Worth.
LET us never speak, then, Of profits
and of patriotism in the same SEN
tence, but face facts and meet them.
Let US do sound business, but not In
the midst Of q mist.
MANY q grievous burden of taxa
ton win be laid on this nation, In this
generation and in the next, to pay for
this war; let US see TO 1t that for
every dollar that IS taken from the
peoples pockets it shall be possible TO
obtain a dollars worth Of the sound
stuff they need.
let me turn for q moment to the
ship owners Of the United States and
the other ocean carriers whose ex-
ample they have followed, and ask
them If they realize what obstacles,
Yhat almost insuperable obstacles,
they have been putting in the way Of
the successful prosecution of this war
by the ocean freight rates they have
been exacting.
Making War a Failure.
"They are doing everything that
high freight charges can do to make
the war failure, to make 1t impos-
sible.
Il do not say that they realize this
or intend It. The thing has happened
naturally enough because the CONNER
cial processes which we are content to
see operate in ordinary times have
without sufficient thought been con-
tinued into a period where they have
no proper place
Il am not questioning motives. I
am merely stating a fact, and stating
it In order that attention may be fixed
upon It.
"rhe fact Is that those who have
fixed war freight rates have taken the
most effective means In their power to
defeat the armies engaged against Ger
many. When they realize this we may,
l take It for granted, count upon them
to reconsider the whole matter 1t is
high time Their extra hazards are
covered by war risk insurance.
Warning Is Sounded.
II know, and You know, what re-
Spouse to this greut challenge Of duty
and of opportunity the nation viii ex-
pect Of you; and know what re-
spouse you will make.
Those who do mot respond, who
do not respond IN the spirit of those
who have gone to give their lives for
US on bloody fields far away, may
safely be left to be dealt with by
opinion and the law-for the law must,
Of course, command those things.
Il ana dealing with the matter thus
publicly aud frankly not because l have
any doubt or fear as to the result but
only In order that in all our thinking
and in ali our dealings with one an
other we may move In a perfectly clear
air Of mutual understanding,
Must Have Same Prices.
And there is something more that
we must add to our thinking. The
public is now as much a part OF the
government as are the army and navy
themselves the whole people in all
their activities are now modified and
In service for the accomplishment Of
the nations task IN this war; 1t Is
In such circumstances impossible just
ly to distinguish between Industrial
purchases made by the government
and industrial purchases made by the
managers Of industries. and 1t is Just
as much our duty to sustain the indus
n LftfH VA tiiC NtttAANA WIN Nlt iltt AZ
duSuies that contribute to its life as
It Is to sustain cur forces in the field
and on the sea.
Think Not Of Self.
I'VE mist make prices to the pub
lie the same ms the prices TO the gov-
eminent. Prices. mean the same thing
everywhere now. They mean the elf
! cheney or the inef|lciency Of the ma
( ton. whether it is the government that
pays them or not. They mean victory
or defeat. They mean that America
/ VIII win her place once for all among
| the foremost free nations Of the world
or that she will sink to defeat and be-
come a second-rate power alike in
thought and IN action. This IS "a day
/ Of her reckoning and every man among
US must personally face that reckoning
along with her.
THE case needs no arguing. I rs
( sumo that 7 am only expressing your
own thouchts-Vhat must be In the
mind Of every true man when he faces
the tragedy and the solemn glory Of
( the presehs war, for the em8Dcipatf0n