The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1917-10-04

Appearing below is copy OF an ad-
dress made by Secretary Of the !nte-
ricr Franklin X. Lane before the Ne
tional Life Underwriters Association
at New Orleans on Thursday OF last
week, the same being as reported by
the Times-PicdyHne of that city. Sec
rotary Lane spoke in the name OF the
President and with a view OF further
ing the publicity and success OF the
second Liberty Loan. 1t is said that
he was in New Orleans but twenty-five
minutes and that his address was nee
ess;lrily hurried. but it is none the less
replete with facts with which you
should become familiar and for this
reason we publish it, even though 1t Is
/: rather lengthy article to appear in a
little country weekly. We urge that
YOU read it and give it intense thought.
/ am here to ask your help i'll the
name Of the President and OF the Sec
retary of the Treasury. We are about
to place upon the market Il new issue
of Liberty Bonds. Our appeal on be-
half of the nation is to the people of
the nation. This is a fight for democ-
racy and we are following democratic
methods. There was Il day not long
mlst when no government could make
war without asking the consent of
those who were the money masters.
The foundation of our financial re-
source is the wealth and willingness of
our people. \ war for democracy
should be supported by the money OF
democracy.
We have drafted our young men into
cur army. The son of the millionaire
stands to-day in the ranks alongside
the son of the drayman, the lawyer
alongside his own baker. We have
made no preferences and drawn no
lines of distinction, and when these
same men march ever the top the
guns of the enemy will show no pref
erence and make no distinction. This
nation has been summoned to arms i'll
cause that is right and every man
and every woman will serve their coun-
try in this contest. Wars cannot be
fought without men or without money.
There is not so much credit in giving
our wealth as there is i'll giving our
lives. but in Il war which is the organ-
lied industrialism of all nations the
giving of life will be idle without tue
guns, the food, the airplanes, the
trains. the ships. the factOries-all
these resources which money can COM
mand. One-half Of the men now in
camp are volunteers militia or regular
army men: the other half of them
drafted. And this same method. Il
| combination of compulsion and volun-
tary offering, we are following as to
our finances. Some of cur revenues we
take by the stern mandate of the law
| in the form of taxes, the rest we ask
for as loan from our people.
This war is costing not less than one
hundred million dollars a day, but this
it the least of its cost. There are five
million hospital beds in Europe. Those
| beds have been filled three times since
this war began. Fifteen million men
the stalwarts of Europe. have passed
over them, and ten million blind, arm
less, or shattered wrecks and remnant.
of men will live in Europe for years
| to come to testify to the horrors of thi,
| war. Nine million men, three times
/ tue number of the men the North ant
South sent into our Civil war, have
been killed. And all because a few
men who are masters of Germany hav'
determined that Germany was to b.
the master Of the world.
| This is to he grim time for us
Let Us not delude ourselves or carr.
any false illusions that the righteous
ness of our cause. the injustice don
to us. the vastness of cur resources. 0
the greatness of our man power will s
touch or OveraWe the enemy as t
make them seek Il peace that vii
make this werld safe for denlocrac
until those who have forced this tigh
realize that with the world agains
them they cannot win. Lloyd Georg
said the other day that the Unite
States had never fought Il war that
had not won. He might have adde
that we never fought war i'll whic
!. we did not know that we We're rig.l
: This war, however, is to be il suprenl
| test. We are to test the fibre of on
} people; we are to test our ability t
, cC-ODerate; we are to test our sense q
, natiOnaliSm; we are to test our 10y
atty to democracy: we are to test
! the ultimate the resources of our III
, ton. the capacity of our mines and OF
: miners. of our farms and of our farm
2 ers, of our mills and mill hands. W
are to test our own vision and til
greatness of cur own minds-whethe
1 we are worthy of large future {
+ welded to Il little life: we are to te:
!, our own conception Of this country an
$ of it,, relation to the world.
!. WHAT is TO BE THE FUTURE!
What is to he the future of I'll
z United States! 1t was not in the II;
ture of things that we could renal
isolated. 1t was our hope that tn
might be SO, hut seas have been Ia
z rowed and interests have been 5
$ twisted and intertwined, and o,
$ rights are SO identical with the righ
:. Of others, that the world had becan
: before this war Il great brotherhoC
We made rules to control our relation