Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1917-05-03


Balkan peninsula n. :he earliest pos
sible moment and keep 1t there as
long as the war continues over n con
stantly growing fighting force until
the war brings victory" was the ap
peal delivered in Chicago by, Theodore
Roosevelt to the people OF the west
in speech in the Stockyards Pavil
lion under the auspices OF the Ma
tional Security league.
Il come here tonight to. appeal to
the people of the great west, the
people of the Mississippi Valley, the
people who are the spiritual heirs OF
the men who stood behind Lincoln
and Grant" declared Mr. Roosevelt.
when once walked up to actual con.
ditions, you have always stood with
unfaltering courage and iron endur.
ance for the national honor and the
national interest. appeal to the
women as much as to the men, for
our nation has risen level to every
great crisis only because in every
famed as high as the courage OF the
men. .... .....
Il appeal to you TO take the lead
in making good the presidents mes.
sage of April 2, in which he set forth
the reasons why it was our unescap.
able duty to make war upon Germany.
We can make the presidents mes.
sage stand among the great state pa
pers in our history: but we can make
1t good only if we fight with all our
strength now, at once; il at the ear.
lest possible moment, we put the flag
on the firing line and keep it there
over constantly growing army, un.
til the war closes by a peace which
brings victory TO the great cause OF
democracy and civilization, the great
cause of Justice and fair play among
the peoples of the world.
we Americans are at war. Now
let us fight. Let us make it a real
war, not a dollar war. Let us show
that We have the manhood to pay
with our own bodies. and not merely
To hire other men to pay with their
bodies. Let us fight at once. Let us
put the flag at the front now, at the
earliest moment, and not merely an
nounce that we are going to fight a
year or two hence"
Asserting that America should i'm.
mn let
army on the principle of universal
military training and ser
vice and declaring that it would re-
quire a long time to train such an
army, Mr.. Roosevelt declared:
But most emphaticalIy. we should
not rest content with this. We should
not rest content with merely prepar.
ing an army. TO act year or eighteen
months or two years hence. Let us
put the flag on the firing line at the
earliest possible moment, this sum-
mer. wherever our services are most
needed--in France or Flanders or the
Balkan peninsula. II need only be
a small army AT first. But even a
division would be better than moth
ing. Then we can constantly keep
that division filled, and other divisions
from time to time added to it; until
Il year hence. II the war continues, we
have a really formidable fighting force
at the front, a fighting force which
will be steadily increased month by
month, year by year, until the triumph
IL wish to see the system of obliga-
tory service used in order to make all
men serve who ought to serve. But
do not hinder. men. who, under con.
scription, would be entitled to stay
at home. from volunteering to go to
the front If they can render good ser
vice. Under the bill proposed to con-
gress by the war department, many
of excellent fighting men
would be exempt from service, while
n long time would elapse before the
others are sent to the front. Under
these conditions, we ought to use the
volunteer system to fill the gap; II
opens to us at once a great posi-.
bility: let II be used, and used eX.
to give to those who would
otherwise be exempt an opportunity TO
go to the front without claiming ex-
emption.
81 most earnestly hope that we shall
avoid any policy Of delay. Congress
has passed. without n dissenting vote.
n bill to appropriate seven billions of
dollars as representing part of our
to the great war. This
is fine; but only on condition that we
also put our men into the fighting
line Half OF this great sum is to go
to the allies; that is, 1t is to be spent
by them in getting their men zip
against the German and Austrian and
shells and bullets. Now. we
Americans have always pridcd our.
selves on being ablo to do our own
fighting. II Is right to help others to
fight In the common cause for which
we are engaged. But II Is even more
necessary that we should fight our.