Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-07-12

drive a bargain, with the men who are
enduring the agony Of this war on the
battlefield. in the trenches. amidst the
lurking dangers Of the sea. or with the
bereaved women and pitiful children.
before you will come forward to do
your duty and give some part Of your
life. in easy peaceful fashion. for tho
things we are fighting for, the things
we have pledged our fortunes.
our lives, our sacred honor to vindi-
cate and defend-liberty and Justice
and fair dealings and the peace of ma
tions?
KIND OF PATRIOTISM NEEDED.
"Of course you will not. 1t is incon-
ceivable. Your PATRIOTS is Of the same
self-denying stun as the patriotism Of the
men dead or maimtd on the fields Of
France. or else 1t is no patriotism at all.
Let us never speak, then. Of profits and
of patriotism in the same sentence, but
face facts and meet them. Let us do
sound business but not in the midst Of a
mist. Many grievous burden Of taxation
will be laid on this nation. in this genera
ton and in the next. to pay for this war
let us see to 1t that for every dollar that
is taken from the peoples pockets 1t shall
be possible to obtain a dollars worth OF
the sound stuffs they need.
Let me turn for a moment to the ship
owners of the United States and the other
ocean carriers whose example they have
followed and ask them IL they realize
what obstacles. what almost insuperable
obstacles. they have been putting in the
war by the ocean freight rates they have
been exacting. They are doing everything
that high freight charges can do to make
the war failure. to make 1t impossible.
I do not say that they realize this or in
tend 1t. The thing has happened naturally
enough, because the commercial processes
which we are content to see operate In
ordinary times have without sufficient
| thought been continued into a period
where they have no proper place. am
not questioning motives. I am merely
stating fact and stating it in order that
attention may be fixed upon it.
HELPS TO DEFEAT OUR ARMIES.
"The fact is that those who have fixed
war freight rates have taken the most ef-
fective means in their power to defeat
| the armies engaged against Germany
When they realize this we may. take II
for granted, count upon them to reconsid.
er the whole matter. 1t Is high time
Their extra hazards are covered by war
risk insurance.
II know, and you know. what response
to this great challenge Of duty and Of op
portunity the nation will expect Of you
and know what response you will make
Those who do not respond in the
spirit Of those who have gone t.
give their lives for us on bloody fields IA
away. may safely be left to be dealt witt
by opinion and the law-for the law mus
of course command those things. / an
dealing with the matter thus publicly ant
frankly. not because I have any doubt o.
fear as to the result but only in order tina
in all our thinking and in all our dealing
with one another we may move In per
fectly clear air Of mutual understanding.
1T IS EvERYBODY's WAR.
"And there is something more tina
we must add to our thinking. Th
public is now as much part Of tn
government as are the army and nav
themselves; the whole people In a.
their activities are now mobilized an
in service for the accomplishment G
the nations task in this war; 1t Is I
such circumstances impossible justl
} to distinguish between industrial pul
chases made by the government an
industrial purchases made by the mar
ayers of individual industries: and
Is just as much our duty to sustai
, the industries OF the country. all tn
industries that contribute to its lif
, as 1t is to sustain our forces In tn
I field and on the sea. We must max
the prices to the public the same g
the prices to the government. Price
mean the same thing everywhere nov
They mean the efficiency or the Inc
q ficiency of the nation. whether It
= the government that pays them or no
= They mean victory or defeat The
n mean that America will win her plat
;. once for all among the foremost fr'
nations Of the world, or that she WI
sink to defeat and become a secor
= rate power alike in thought and
n action. This 10 a day Of her reckonir
r and every man amongst us must pc
4 sonally face that reckoning along Wi
v her.
g "The case needs no arguing. ! a
r sumo that / am only expressing yo1
IS own thoughts-what must be in Il
g mind of every true man when he fac
% the tragedy and the solemn glory
~ the present war. for the emancipati'
=. or mankind. ! summon you to
It great duty. a great privilege. a shi
10 ing dignity and distinction. 1 shall Q
10 pect every man who Is not a slack
Ie TO be at my side throughout this gre
ie enterprise. In 1t no man can win no
AZ or who thinks of himself"