Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1917-09-12
Why We Are Fighting

tie field where freedoms sons have
met the legions Of absolutism, from
every dungeon cell where kings have
wreaked their fearful vengeance on
the prophets of human liberty, there
came to her the call to action, the
summons to defend her hard-won lib
critics and the liberties of the little
peoples Of the world.
And she has obeyed that summons
because she could not do otherwise
and be true to her destiny. She has
seized the sword and right valiantly
will she WELD it.
She asks no foot Of foreign soil. She
seeks no toll of human lives; she has
no dreams of conquest. No tabled Sir
Galahad ever set lance in rest with
purer or nObler purpose than that
which moved America to enter this
greatest war of recorded time She
fights only for human liberty, and that
not for herself alone, but for the dem
ocracies Of the world, whether large
or small, and by this we know that
she will not fight in vain. She will
not, she can not, sheathe the flashing
blade which has fought freedoms bat
ties for well night a century and a
half until there shall be binding guar
antics that the liberties of man have
been made forever secure from the
! plOttingS and secret Vaccinations of
| irresponsible military autocracies
which blasphemOusly claim the spe-
cial favor Of Almight God. The Amer
lean who talks Of peace NOW talks
of treason to democracy and human
| ity. There can be no peace with red
handed, unrepentant crime.
A distinguished American well said
few days since, eve have now begun
new era in the history Of the world.
Hitherto we have been concerned
chilly with the development and the
extension of liberty at home. We have
now entered on larger crusade to
help in an extension Of liberty in the
Old World, since the foundations Of
] liberty throughout the whole world
have been assailed" Aye, that is I'm
doubtedly the situation; the attack is
an attack not on one democracy or
upon several, but upon the democra-
cies of the world. 1t is our own bat
tie that we are fighting on the plains
of France and on the European seas
just as truly as if our enemies ships
were in our harbors and their legions
at our gates.
If this truth can be brought home
to our citizens it is unthinkable that
the great state of Wisconsin should be
disloyal or faint-hearted. Her glor-
ious past forbids the thought The
many battlefields on which Wiscon-
sins sons have laid down their lives in
freedoms cause prove her devotion to
liberty and to the flag.
But there are disquieting signs
abroad which it would be folly to dis
regard.
There is being conducted in the
state and nation a campaign of thinly
yelled opposition to the war amount
ing to practical disloyalty. In the
name of democracy and humanity it in
effect challenges the justice of the
war, suggests that we ought not to be
in it, questions our policies, belittles
our leadership, encourages evasion OF
army service, breeds discomfort and
disloyal thoughts and demands that
we at once endeavor to make peace
With professions of loyalty on their
lips these propagandists are in effect
giving comfort and aid to the enemy
Every success which they score brings
joy to the men at Potsdam who DELHI