The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-09-08
MissoUL,AN TO THE FRONT.
AT MONTANA FIELD.

Inc meeting addressed by former
Ambassador James w. Gerard at Mon
tana field last evening was an event.
1t was truly inspiring and will go far
toward bringing all of our people to
the right pitch Of patriotism and I'M
meaning of this war.
Likewise it gave a clear and lasting
impression of the strong man who
came forth from fire with clean gar
ments and stamped with the highest
quality of American patriotism. We
are proud of our former ambassador
for his showing of yirility, intelligence
and courage along with a fine native
American sense of modesty.
Mr.. Gerard's testimony OF German
methods ought to be sufficient to con-
vince our people that all other bust :
ness that may interfere with winning
the war must be set aside until the
group of brutal tyrants in possession
of the German government is
stripped Of al! authority. We rejoice
that he came to us and we know
there win be no dissenting voice in
the profound sense of gratitude of our
PEOPLE to him. The Missoulian has
endeavored TO give full report of his
speech and we hope that it will be
carefully read by our citizens. some OF
whom may not have been present. II
should be read, too. by the children
and preserved for future reading, tina,
the generations to come may not make
any mistake as to the justice of oul
cause in entering this war.
Mr.. Gerard, in the course of an in
teresting informal talk at the luncheon
yesterday brought into clear view on,
important phase of the war that has
been somewhat obscured. That is, tn.
utterly mistaken notion of the German
people with regard to the attitude o,
the people of our own country In &
most natural way they had been le,
TO believe that our America was no
merely divided but that great ma.
jority of Americans were in sympath,
with Germany and opposed to wa
with her.
We had known before that this un
derstanding prevailed to a consider
N, l,,t
puzzled as to the cause Of it. Mr.
Gerard made that clear. There wer
in Germany, and especially in Berlin
u large number of odious and syco
phantic Americans who left nothin
undone to create the impression tina
the people of the United States hate
the English and French, and under n
circumstances would consent to a wa
with Germany. They organized them
selves into pro- German societie,
passed resolutions of sickening prais
tor the kaiser denounced and ipsulte
President Wilson and insisted on a
occasions that they represented tn
American people. Americans In Ger
many even approved the sinking Of tn
Lusitania, and the murder OF wome
and children from bombs droppe
from Zeppelins on the English SCI
coast towns. Especially guilty wei
the correspondents of many America
newspapers. Of whom, one said ;,,,.
would choose to live in Germ:
prison rather than to live in fir
America.
Ihe Germans, 1t appears, accept
this REASONABLE talk at face Walt
They were not wholly undeceiv
when the United States declared w.
The attitude of such vermin as May
Thompson of Chicago leads them
this day to believe that we are a
Vided nation, and in Mr.. Gerar
opinion, until the German people the
selves fully awaken to the fact t
the people of this county as a VIII
are in this war. with all their
sources OF men. money and food
remain to the end. we may not exl