Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-06-30
THE DOUBLE MENACE
Two Things Of Foreign Origin
That Threaten the Life Of
Civilization.

(From the New York independently
Civilization is fighting for it's life
against two deadly foes. On the one
side 1t is assailed by anarehism. Each
Of these foes processes to be saving
civilization from impending destruc-
ton by the other one. Civilization
will not be safe until both Of these
enemies are slain.
For the moment attention and ef-
fort are necessarily centered upon the
menace Of absolutism. The people Of
the United States were loath to believe
that an empire which enjoyed the
reputation of leadership in eRlighten-
ment and efficiency was deliberately
trying to achieve world domination
and to stamp out free political instt-
~tutions In both hemispheres. They
know 1t now. They understand what
the Kaiser has meant through all the
years in which he has reiterated that
there is but n will for men to obey,
and that will is his will. They know
that Of all the moral monstrosittes
from Nero to Napoleon, and from Ma
poleon to the present time, William
II. is the most imperious, the most
un%scruplous, the most ruthless, and
the most blssphemous. They know
that the plan which he, with his
household. the m%ilitarists of his army,
0AAO S40 JAIlhSI lduulOIO6, udO IIlhu0
to extend Prussian domination from
Antwerp to the Persian gulf was the
real cause Of the European a the
actual reason for the invasion and
devastation Of Belgium, for the de-
struction OF Serbia, and for the
massac ere Of the Armenians. and that
the plan came %perilously a to sue
cessful realization. They know that
II the plan had succeeded the western
hemisphere would have been attack
ed. They know that If 1t is not to
utterly smashed, Germany be whip
ped to a finish, and the house Of
Hohenzollern be destroyed forever.
Knowing these things, the United
States, with Great Britain, France and
Italy, will stay on the Job until It is
done.
But while 1t is being done another
job must be taken in hand, and it
must be continued after peace returns.
Russia. where for the moment he is
most mischievous, the anarchist is
busy. The name is not too harsh.
Not only the dynamiter and the
preacher Of sabotage, but also that
type of ultra-pacifst, including Ger
tain ministers of the Christian religion
who preach resistance to government
al tnOrl are anarchists at
This creed Of destruction has taken
semi-criminal characters in such or
CARNATIONS Is the I. w. w. and, UNI
happily, in the ranks Of school teach
ers and OF college students. Many Of
these are weli-intentioned y persons,
but they are childish ana silly. They
know nothing whatever about the
realities Of life; they have mo- sense of
cause and effect.
The government Of the United
States is doing exactly the right thing
in laying the heavy hand Of resistless
authority upon these people. There
are crises in history when the fool
must be dealt with as the criminal is
dealt. with. The man who does not
know h a liberty cannot exist in this
world apart from law and obedience
must be prevented from destroying
liberty by his folly.
Out Of the desolation of war will
come a stronger and saner civilization
than any the world has yet seen. It
will be a civilization no longer
menaced on the one hand by abso-
lutism, on the other hand by an un-
social. irresponsible and reckless an
archism. But the achievement is to
be a mans job. Happily, the Ameri-
can people now see. az the people Of
Great Britain, of France and of Italy
also see, precisely what the undertake
Ing is. That is why 1t is safe to pre-
dict that there will 20 neither an in
conclusive peace nor any distintegra-
ton of the institutions which are the
bulwark of liberty and law.