The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1917-02-17

many against the world, and the
U. S. about to take arms! Stocks
and bonds rise and fall, and news
print gets scarcer by issuing war
extras! Gasoline gees up a cent
and arms factories working over
time!
Such is war.
But in the frenzy with which
the pros and the ants dissect the
newspaper stories, and then make
their declarations, do we always
stop to realize that a sane Amer
ican public must be considered
above all else? This great nation,
founded on the principle of free
dom of thought and action, can
not follow the few rabid ones in
either direction, for there are too
many American homes to con-
slider, too many rights to pre-
serve, too many free institutions
to maintain.
Those who want to fight for
England or France or Germany
have liberty to go there and do
so. Those who are willing to
fight if necessary for the steel
corporation, the DUPONT company
or the munitions factories can
probably get jobs as guards at
these various institutions. And
those who are willing to back the
American flag with their all
because that flag means the most
to humanity-can continue to as
sist in securing perfection in their
own home towns until such time
as our representative form of
government finds need for more
help in defending our rights.
The war spirit in America no
more represents America than
does the Prussian military gov
ernment constitute Germany. The
ultra peace advocate is as unlike
the red. blooded westerner as is
the belligerent who demands
compulsory military training. An
American has rights which must
be maintained-but he also now
enjoys privileges which the peo-
pie of warning nations do not
have, and those privileges are al
so worth retaining, in preference
to sacrificing them in war.
But should the United States
be attacked, or her citizens un-
lawfully killed, or her properties
wrongfully destroyed or confis-
Gated, every American citizen,
regardless of the land of his birth,
will have the same opinion and
the same desire to uphold the flag
which guarantees his freedom.
There is no need to wonder what
the German-American or the
1rish-American or the Scandina-
vian-American will do. A tinge
of Americanism is all that has
ever been necessary to distinguish
the patriot in this land. Preser-
walton of human rights unites all
men, just as it has united the
people of the United States and
the states of the United States
into one great nation.
Last month three state banks
closed their doors in Seattle, and
a run was started on other banks
by various scared depositors. 1t
was the beginning of a bank
panic such as this country used
to witness very frequently until
the Wilson administration passed
a panic-proof currency law.
And how do you suppose this
Seattle panic was stopped? The
following telegram was received
by Seattle national banks from
John Perrin, chairman of the
federal reserve bank at San Fran
cisco:
1.-THE federal reserve bank of San
Francisco stands ready to act instantly
in supplying money in exchange for the
commercial, industrial or agricultural
paper of the member banks of Seattle
if they should desire it. Besides $50,
600, 900 of gold we have $50, 900, 900 of
federal reserve notes in San Francisco,
and $28, ,000,0 900 additional available for
immediate shipment from Washington.