The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1917-09-28
ROOSFvFLT'S GREAT
KANSAS CITY SPEECH
He Hits the Spot More Often and Hits
More Spots than Any Man in the
United States

some OF the vital questions involved 10
rhe great war in his Kansas City speech,
last Tuesday. and because the questions
on which he touched are just now
uppermost in the public mind we are
reprinting it from the daily press. No
other man in this country could have
crowded so many facts in the same
space or put them so forcefully. The
vein Of satire running thru the speech
adds to the interest OF the keen
observer.
First, I wish most heartily TO con-
graduate all those men who are in the
army and are going to the front; all
of them, regulars, national guardsmen
drafted men, men OF the army and men
Of the navy. They are all on Uncle
Sans team. And, therefore, they are
the men to be respected and backed
up by everybody else, and envied just
little by those who are not so fortunate
as to be allowed to go.
The greatest piece of good luck
that can befall any one OF US is to have
the chance to take part in some work
worth doing. and to do it we'll. The
man who is not eager and able to do
a mans job isn't worth calling man.
This is true in private life, and it is
Just as true in the life of the nation.
The man who in private life won't
work hasn't any right to eat, and the
man who won't fight for the nation
when the nation is at war isn't fit to
vote in the nation and ought not to be
allowed to do so. And the man who is
chosen to fight for the nation is to be
envied. If any one thinks he ought
to be pitied on account Of being chosen
uC 10 pOOl CICdtuiC'
The man chosen is to be congrat-
ulated. Among the old men of our
community, those whom we honor
most, are the men who fought in the
civil war. But we pity the wretched
creatures who ducked out of the draft
and wouldn't volunteer and stayed at
home. At this time every vigorous
young man of fighting age ought to be
with the colors if he can possibly get
there. 1t will be mighty good thing
in the future to explain to your chill
dren and grandchildren why you went
to the war, and not to have to ex-
plain why you didn't go. You are fight
ing for the rights OF every well-be-
haved people to live its own life and
decide for itself what form of govern
ment it desires. Above all, you are
fighting for America, for your own
county. You are making the world
safe for America; and America can
never be safe until the hideous menace
of German militarism is destroyed.
And for no nation does Germany
feel and express such bitter con-
temptuous hostility as for the United
States. There is no nation on the face
OF the globe which they would be
more delighted to ruin and plunder.
Under such circumstances the public
men and newspapers engaged in de-
tending Germany or assailing England
and our other allies, or in protesting
against the war and demanding an
inconclusive peace, are guilty Of moral
treason to this country; and while the
German-American papers have achieved
an evil prominence in this matter the
professional anti -English-Irish papers
are as bad and the purely sensational
demagogic and unpatriotic section ot
the native American press is the worst
OF all.
Germany embodies the principles OF
successful militaristic autocracy.
Much has been said about our being
against the German government, but
not against the German people. The
attitude Of the German-American press
and the German alliance in this country
in their hearty support Of the German
government, and the practically un-
animous support Of that government
heretofore by the Germans at home
shows that at present the German