The Meeker herald., 1917-06-09
Getting Into The War

Secretary of the Treasury Nc Adoo
in his speech at the Denver Auditori-
um lately, emphasized a point with
reference to the war which should
emphatically he borne in mind when
the question of its popularity or un-
popularity is discussed. The fact Is
the United States could not have
kept out of it under any circum-
stances much longer. In one sence,
of cource, war is exceedingly unpOp-
pular. Nobody could have wished
it as desirable state Of affairs, but
as the situation developed. and as it
became more and more evident that
the military autocracy of Germany,
backed by the pan-German league,
had definite and carefully worked out
plans for the creation of n world en-
pire, the United States was bound, In
the interest of her own future safety,
to Join forces with the allies.
There is a disposition on the part of
certain groups of papers, notably
those published by Mr.. Hearst, to cre-
ate the impression that in some man
ner the United States has been drag
ged into this war in order to help out
the "bankrupt allies" and to mix In.
to a quarrel which was none of our
affair. The tone assumed by these
misleading guides of public opinion is
astonishingly cynical. OF course,
tbay COW u,a,ll ho ya to COO ~ tbrn tn
the best of our ability, and we are all
going to be loyal to the flag, and do
our share, but it is a poor cause we
are fighting for, at best. We are saw
ing the munitions makers, the Wall
street gamblers, old John Bull and
the rest of them, and we have to suf-
fer because we are pulling the other
fellows chesnuts out of the fire.
Nothing can more certainly dam
pen the spirit of the people than this
kind of specious presentation of the
situation. The United States is in
the war because the worlds democ-
racies are in danger. We are in to
help England and France win, be-
cause if they lose we lose. The dan
ger is common, therefore combined
action is necessary. The men who are
doing the talking for Germany today
are counting on the wealth America
to help pay the indemnities which
they hope they can collect. They still
have reliance on the power of the sub
marine to bring the war to a success
full issue, that is to force the allies to
sue for peace. Is it to be supposed
that America, against which, as the
German chancellor says, "our holy
anger" is kindled, is going to escape
an exaction by the side of which a
Liberty loan, staggering rs it is,
would look like a plugged dime?
The whole attitude of Mr.. Hearst,
Mr.. Keating, Senator LaFollette and
the anti-war party generally is that
the United States was not neutral in
the beginning, and never gave Ger
many fair deal" II, as has been
abundantly demonstrated, the aims
of Germany from the beginning
were inimical and dangerous to the
United States, even under cover of
the kind of friendship that the kaiser
gives to other countries, why should
this country give Germany the fair
deal" she insisted on? The wolf about
to start on foray among the lambs,
is hardly in a position to insist on
their confidence in the innocence of
it's aims.
There was an unerring instinct in
the United States since the beginning
of the trouble that Germany was the
aggressor-[as that country started
the warl-and time has demonstrated
the truth of the original diagnosis.
One can have very little patience
with the doctrine so sedulously
taught in many quarters, that the
United States is In the war as the re-
suit of some kind of trickery, decep-
ton or sinister manipulation by inter
ested parties or nations. To make
these groundless charges is to say
that America is an unworthy democ-