Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-10-20
Secretary McAdoo Speaks at
Colorado Springs and Out
lines Necessity for Unani-
nous Support Of Loan,
SINKING OF ANTILLES
IS USED AS TEXT
Nation Is Confronted With
Greatest Task With Which
It Has Ever Had to Deal;
Has Mission to Perform.


Colorado Springs, Colo, Oct. 10
Secretary of the Treasury McAdoo, in
his swing through the great west to
urge every man, woman and child
to subscribe to the second liberty loan,
spoke here tonight in the interests of
the campaign. A few moments be-
fore reaching the theater the secre-
tary was informed by the Associated
Press that the American transport
Antilles, homeward bound, was tor
pedoed in the war zone October II
and sunk with loss of seventy lives.
Il have come to you," said Secretary
McAdoo in his address tonight, ito
American nation has ever faced: a
task upon which depends TIE sucr
cess of America in this war; task
upon which depends the safety of
democracy in the world; a task upon
which depends the security of our be-
loved America. | do not exaggerate
when / say that, because it would be
difficult to express even in super
latives the disastrous consequences
which would follow the failure of
America in this war. That prospect
Is so appalling that we can not con-
slider 1t for a moment, and we shall
not have to consider it if the patriotic
men and women do their full duty.
The patriotic men alone can not do
the task and the patriotic women
alone can not do the task, but to-
gether they can accomplish it and
save America as well as the rest of
the world from further infamies and
further suffering. 1t is a Godgiven
mission to which we have all been
called, a mission which we could not
have avoided If we would; and a mis-
sion which a brave and noble people
could not avoid because they would
not avoid it when the path of duty
was pointed out.
All Precedents Swept Aside.
Il am not going deeply into the
cause of this war but | do wish to
call your attention to this fact: Every
civilized nation until this war broke
out recognized and observed the prin-
ciple that merchant vessel contain
ing non-combatant men, women and
children never should be sunk unless
the lives Of all the passengers as we'll
as the lives of the crew should first
be made safe. What was the reason
for that rule? You can understand
more quickly if l illustrate it in this
way If German division, after cap
turing a French town and while
through the streets crowded
with the terrified and captured popu-
lation with their hearts torn with
the agony and distress which would
come from such a situation, had sud-
denly halted and under orders of their
commander had fired a volley into
those defenseless, unarmed and help
less old men, women and children and
had murdered many Of them, we could
have shocked civilization. In such a
contingency as that some people would
have been killed outright. others
would have been horribly wounded;
others might have fled and escaped
with their lives because they were on
land Those who were wounded might
have been saved because thev could
have been taken to hospitals and
rursed back to health.
Horrors Are Vividly Pictured.
"But do you realize what it means
to sink passenger vessel containing
a similar number of non-combatants
upon the high seas without notice--a
sudden explosion, every one thrown
into the water, no chance to escape,
every vistage of bIman life swept
away without tracer American
since the outbreak of the war
have been murdered repeatedly on the
high seas under the conditions / have
described. Germany repeatedly has
been called to account and repeatedly
has assured this government she
would desist and Just as repeatedly
she has violated that promise and has
proceeded to kill other American citi-
zens upon the high seas"
In the course of his remarks appeal
ing to America to rally to the support
- the liberty loan, Secretary McAdoo
said:
do You realize that there is not a