Evening journal., 1917-06-14

serve is the emblem Of unity, our
power, our thought and purpose-as a
nation. It has no other character than
that what we give II from generation
to generation. The choices are ours.
Il floats in majestic silence above the
hosts that execute these choices
whether In peace or in war. And yet,
though silent, II speaks TO us-speaks
to us OF the past. Of the men and
women who went before us and OF
the records they wrote upon IL. We
celebrate the day Of It's birth: and
from its birth until now IL has wit.
messed a great history. has floated on
high In symbol OF great events of the
great plan of life worked out by a
great people We are about to carry
Il into battle. to lift where It will
draw the fire Of our enemies We are
about TO bid thousands. hundreds Of
thousands il may be millions OF our
men. the young, the strong, the capa-
bic men OF the nation 10 60 forth and
die beneath It in fields Of blood far
away-for what2 For some unaccus-
toned thing? For something for which
IL has never sought the fire before?
American armies were never be-
fore sent across the sea. Why are
they sent now? For some new pur-
pose, for which this great flag has
never been carried before or for some
old, familiar, heroic purpose for
which It has seen men, its own men.
die on every battlefield on which
Americans have borne arms since the
Revolution?
These are questions which must be
answered. We are Americans We In
our turn serve America aud can serve
her with no private purpose. We must
use her flag as she has always used
u. We are accountable at the bar OF
history and must plead in utter frank
ness what purpose II is we seek to
serve.
lt Is plain enough how we were
forced into the war. The extraordln-
airy insults and aggression Of the inn
perlal German government left us no
self respecting choice but to take I'D
arms In defense OF our rights as
Tree people and OF our honor as a SOW
ereign government The military mas
ters Of Germany denied the right To
be neutral. They filled our unsuspect-
ing communities with. vicious spies
and oonspirators and sought 10 cor
rupt the opinion of our people in their
own behalf When they found thevI
could not do that, their agents dill
gently spread sedition amongst us and
sought 10 draw our own citizens from
their allegiance--and some OF these
agents were men connected with the
official embassy Of the German gov
ernment Itself here in our own capi-
tol' They sought by violence 10 des-
troy our industries and arrest our
commerce. They tried 10 incite Mex
leo to take up arms against us and
draw Japan into a hostile alliance
with her--and that not by indirection,
by direct suggestion from the foreign
ONCE In Berlin. They impudentiy de-
MED US the use of the high seas and
repeatedly executed their threats that
they would send to their death any
or our people who ventured to ap-
preach the coasts OF Europe And
many OF our own people were cor
rupted. Men began 70 look upon their
own neighbors with suspicion and 70
wonder in thoir hot resentment and
surprise whether there was any COM
muniiy IN which hostile intrigue did
not work What great nation IN such
circumstances would not have taken
up arms? Much as we desired peace.
10 was denied us and not OF our own
choice. Fhis flag under which we
serve would have been dishonored
had we withheld our hand.
But that is only part of the story.
We know now as clearly as We knew
before we were ourselves engaged |
hat we are not the enemies of the /
German people and that they are not I
lur enemies They did not originate l
,r desire this hideous war or wish
hat we should be drawn into It and |
Ye are vaguely conscious that we are
lighting their cause as they will some /
lay see it, as well as our own. They |
ire. themselves IN the grip OF the same
sinister power that has now at last /
stretched ia ugly talons out and
irawn blood from us. The whole world |
Is at war because the whole world IS
IN the grip OF that power and is try |
Ing out the great battle which shall |
determine whether il is to be brought /
under its mastery or fling itself free. |
The war was begun by the military
masters Of Germany who proved to I
be also the masters OF . Austro-Hun- |
gary. These men have never regarded
nations as peoples. men. women and
children Of like blood and frame as
themselves, for whom governments
existed and in whom governments had
their life. They have regarded them
merely as serviceable organizations
which they could by force or intrigue
bend or corrupt TO their own purpose.
They have regarded the smaller states
in particular and the peoples who
could be overwhelmed by force. as
their natural tools and instruments OF
domination Their purpose has been
long avowed. The statesmen Of other
nations. to whom that purpose was
incredible, paid little attention: re-
garded what German professors ex-
pounded in their class rooms and Ger
man writer's set forth to the world as
the goal Of German policy as rather
the dream Of minds detached from her
actual affairs, as preposterous private
conceptions Of German destiny than
as the actual plans; but the rulers
Of Germany themselves knew all the
while what concrete plans. what well
advanced intrigues lay back OF what
the professors and the writer's were
saying. and were glad 10 go forward
unmOlested filling the thrones OF
Balkan states with German princes,
putting German officers at the service
OF Turkey 10 drill her armies and
make interest with her government.