The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-12-28

step to enrage all civilized humanity
TO var against us.
II a bloodthirsty maniac should be
let loose on the streets those whom he
attacked would defend themselves. All
peace-loving men would hasten to their
rescue: only towards would stink tim
idly away. This is today the attitude
of the world toward Germany. There
will be no peace, and Justly 90, until
the murderer 10 Imprisoned and shorn
Of his power TO harm.
THIS MURDERER Is
GERMAN EMPEROR.
Comrades In war, this murderer is
the German emperor and his govern
ment; that is to say, the men whom he
plan, without consulting the people,
and without regard for their wishes;
and these are accomplices he has Sc
lected after men of honor have refused
their services. In the spring Of 1914,
by an overwhelming vote Of lack of
distrust of the only man whose sigma
ture the emperor needed for mobiii-
Zation and declaration of war, Beth
mann-Holweg, his imperial chancellor.
In no modern civilized state would IL
be possible for a minister to remain In
office after being openly branded by
the representatives of the people as I'M
fit, but In Germany any criminal may
become and remain imperial chancellor
at the will of the emperor alone. Pun
ishment has already found him out. An
other lackey has been promoted to
lackey-in-chief, without consultation
with the German people and their rep
resentatives.
This murderer Is tho German EN-
peror with his accompIices; but not
the German people, the poor people
defrauded and exploited by their gov
ernment; not the poor soldiers, who
are driven to slaughter by these knaves
under the iron shackles of military law,
like the miserable galley slaves Of old.
Comrades, how long Is II your wish
to put up with thisf When will you
n ~yourselvesf When will you take
arms on the side on which every man
of honor must now fight; on the side of
humanity and civilization against this
gang of slayers? When will you free
our poor, down-trodden, famished peo-
pie from its tyrants, and again estab-
lish justice. liberty. morality, reason
and civilization I'm Germany
JOIN FIGHT ON
SIDE OF JUSTICE.
Why not come over to fight on the
side Of justice, of truth, Of freedom, all
OF you; the side on which all civilized
nations as well as the noblest and
most ~far-seeing Of your own people
have taken their standf
I know the reasons which hold you
back:
/. Your Ignorance; the false doc
trines with which you were inoculated
in your school days In all matters OF
history, civil life and politics; the pre-.
tentious lies Of the German press
whipped into line by q military dicta.
tor; your implicit confidence In your
"God-given" leaders.
2. Fear Of your masters, especially
of the officers. But these hangmen OF
the kaiser are cowardly and hide them
selves In time Of danger behind cover
Shoot them down like mad dogs II they
get In your way. Rather that they
die than the hundreds of thousands OF
honest, Industrious fathers Of fami
lies whom they have already hunted
into the jaws Of death: a hunt which
day by day goes on.
3. Fear Of committing an ~unpardon
able crime, and OF being unable to re
turn home even II you escape punish
ment. BUT THE LAWS BY WHICH
THE MURDERERs MAINTAIN
THEIR POWER AND MAKE YOU
TRUCKING SLAVES SHALL BE
6LoTTED OUT BEFORE THE WAF
Is AT AN END, AND YOU WILL BE
JoYFULLY WELCOMED HOME
WITHOUT DISGRACE. AND MORE
THAN THAT, WITH THE HIGHEST
HONOR, As TRUE HEROES ANr
LiBERAToRs OF YOUR COUNTRY
4. Fear Of injuring our fatherland
You go rel to the French and Eng
fish, and more than that IL you fgh
on their side, which is q matter 70
your own choice.
Comrades, I pledge you by ali tina
we hold holy, ! am a o Of the Gel
man people, / love them with ever
fiber of my being, more than ever
Honenzollern loved them; and the
honor and welfare of my fatherlanc
stand above all else, and are the onl,
lodestars OF my destiny. ! know thu
war, the events leading mp to 1t, IT.
causes, and its progress-more thar
the kaiser's government likes. I assure
you that the welfare Of the German
people demands that you come over
aye, that you turn your cannon around
that you Join the entente and marci
with them to the Rhine md over II
and wrest our land from the claws o
its destroyer, for now and for all time
FREE MANKIND FROM
AN INSANE CRIMINAL
There are only two possible way
Of ending this war: Either humanity
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