Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-06-20
SCORES THE KAISER
PRESIDENT SAYS MILITARY MAS
TIERS DENIED U. S. RIGHT
TO BE NEUTRAL.
FILLED COUNTRY WITH SPIES
Failed in Attempt to Spread Sedltion
German People In Grip of Same
Sinister Power That Has
Drawn Blood From Us.

Washington, June I5-President
Wilson in Flag day address deliv-
cred here on Thursday declared that
we were forced into the worldwide
war by the extraordinary insults and
aggresslons of the military masters of
Germany.
The presidents address in part is as
follows;
My Fellow Citizens: We meet 10
celebrate Flag Day because this flag
which We honor and under which we
serve is the emblem of our unity. our
power, our thought and purpose as
nation. Ii has no other character than
that which We give it,from generation
to generation. The choices are ours
1t floats in majestic silence above the
hosts that execute those choices
whether in peace or in war And yet,
though silent. 1t speaks to us-speaks
TO us of the past, of the men and WON
en- who went before us and OF the rec
ordS they wrote upon IL. We celebrate
the day of its birth and from its birth
until now it has witnessed great his
tory, has tioated on high the symbol of
great events of a great plan of life
worked out by great people. We are
about to carry Ii into battle, to lift II
where IL will draw the fire of our en-.
emies. We are about to hid thousands,
hundreds of thousands 1t may be mil.
lions Of our men, the young the strong,
the capable men If the nation. to go
forth and dfa hanaoth if an folds az
blood far away-for what? For some
unaccustOmed thing? For something
for which II has never sought the fire
before7 American armies wire never
before sent across the seas. Why are
they sent now? For some new pur-
pose, for which this great flag has new
er been carried before. or for some old,
familiar. heroic purpose for which ii
has seen men. its own men. die on ev-
cry battlefield upon which Americans
have borne arms since the Revolutions
These are questions which must be
answered. We are Americans. We in
our turn serve America, and can serve
her with no private purpose. We must
use her flag as she has always used IL.
| We are accountable AT the bar of his
tory and must plead in utter frankness
what purpose 1t is we seek TO serve.
United States Forced Into War.
1t is plain enough how we were
| forced into the war. The extraordi-
| nary insults and aggreSsions of the I'm
| perial German government left us no
! self-respecting choice but to take up
/ arms in defense Of our rights as a free
| people and Of our honor as sovereign
| government. The military masters of
| Germany denied US the right 10 be neu-
trail They filled our unsuspecting com
| munities with vicious spies and con
| spirators and sought 10 corrupt the
~Oplnion OF our people In their own be
| half. When they found that they could
not do that, their agents diligently
! spread sedition amongst us and sought
| To draw our own citizens from their
allegiance, and some of those agents
We're men connected with the official
! embassy of the German government it
! self here In our own capital They
| sought by violence 10 destroy our in
| duStres and arrest our commerce.
| They tried to incite Mexico 10 take mp
arms against as and TO draw Japan in
| TO hostile alliance with her-and
! that. not by indireCtion. but by direct
! suggestion from the foreign office in
| Berlin. They impudently denied Us
! the use of the high seas and repeated
| ly executed their threat that they
would send To their death any Of our
| people who yentured to approach the
| coasts of Europe. And many Of our
| own people were corrupted. Men he.
| gan to look upon their own neighbOrs
| with suspicion and 10 wonder in their
| hot resentment and surprise whether
| there was any community In which
! hostile intrigue did not Turk. What
| great nation in such circumstances
/ would not have taken up arms? Much
as We had desired peace. II was denied
| us. and not Of our own choice This
flag under which We serve would have
been dishonored had we withheld our
! hand.
No Emnity Toward German People
But that is only part of the story.
| We know now AS clearly as We knew
! before We were ourselves engaged that
We are not enemies OF the German peo-
| pie and that they are not our enemies.
| They did not originate or desire this
! hideous war or wish that we should be
! drawn into IL: and we are vaguely con
/ scious that we are figbuug their cause.
rs they will some day see H. as well ~
/ our own They are themselves Ia the
! grip Of the same sinister power that
! has now al last stretched It's ugly tai
/ Ons out and draw. blood from us The
! whole world is IN the grip ~ that pow
/ or and is trying out the great battle
which shall determine whether it Is to
| De brought under its mastery or fling
! Itself free.
The war was begun by the military
masters of Germany. who proved 10 be-
| also the masters of Austria- Hungary.
! These men have never regarded ma
/ tions as peoples. men. women aud
! children of like blood and frame n
| themselves. for whom governments ex-
| listed and In whom governments had
| their life They have regarded then
/ merely as seryiceabie organizations
which they could by force or intrigue
bend or corrupt to their own purpose.
| ARMIES TO WORK AS UNIT
/ Il