The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1917-12-06
REAL WAR ISSUES
SHOULD Be KNOWN
Success Depends Upon ReaIiza.
ton of Vital interests That
Are at Stake.
NEED LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
People Can Maintain Enthusiasm
Through Patriotic Leagues In
Each Locality, says James
NJ. Beck.
BY JAMES M. BECK,
Author Of 1.-THE Evidence in the Gas. -

by JAMES M. BECK,
Author OF "The Evidence in the Case.
Some weeks ago 1t was my privileg
to make a trip to the middle West a
the invitation Of patriotic societies II
Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland, Chica
go, and st. Paul. In each Of thes,
cities l addressed large and represent
alive meetings on the issues Of tn,
war. -Four Of these cities had IN ex
ceptionally large population of foreign
birth or Immediate ancestry, that O,
Cleveland alone aggregating, as was
Informed, IS per cent Of its whole pop
ulatioa.
AS one who from the beginning OF
the war earnestly advocated the par.
ticipation of the United States In the
world war in defense Of the basic
rights OF civilization, / naturally looked
with great interest to the nature of
the response which 1 might receive
from audiences gathered, in most cases
by public invitation, to hear a discus
| sion Of these issues.
II there Is any apathy in the middle
West, these audiences gave no indi-
cation of II.
So far as my experience and obser-
walton in those cities justifies any
opinion-and I appreciate how dam
gerous such generalizations are-I
found loyal and ungrudging inten-
ton on the part Of all classes of
American citizens to support their
country and its president In this most
righteous war.
1t was especially gratifying to see
how the best of the American youth
had arisen with vigor and enthusiasm
to President Wilson's inspiring call to
arms.
Much to Be Done.
Nevertheless there Is much to be
done if the interest is to be maintained
and America is to play a large and
noble part in the greatest of all wars.
There are many ways of developing
this interest, but know Of none that
Is so we'll adapted to its object as the
plan proposed by DR.. Ellery c. Stowell,
the distinguished historian Of Column
bia college, who some months ago
commenced to develop a patriotic serv-
Ice league in his own congressional
district. The principal object of this |
league was to give the civilian an op-
portunity to support at home the work |
OF his soldiers in the field, and the |
results which followed Doctor Stow |
ellis movement in his own congression-
al district (the nineteenth of New
York; were so gratifying that SINH
lar local organization was commenced
In the seventeenth district, and the or
has already made an excel
lent beginning.
1t seems very desirable that In ev-
cry congressional district there should
be such a patriotic service league, COM
posed Of its best citizens, who will
unite to promote the objects of the
var. to secure enlistments, to interest
he masses In Americas vital stake in
The war, to combat sedition, to in
,rease subscriptions to governmental
oans and the Red Cross, and in all
'ther possible ways to support the
lrmies Of America in the field.
War in its actual operations has be- /,
'ome a matter of mechanics, Shemis-
ry, and industrial organization, but
fundamentally it remains, as it has !
lways been, q question of psychology. I
70 nation ever conducted a great war {
o a successful conclusion unless its S
cart was in 1t. For this reason a
cry serious work remains to be done
this country, and that is to inter- =
st the American people, as individu- Q
IS, in the causes and issues of this Z
Itanic contest and its supreme i'm h
ortance to the future of the United :
tates.
Not All United in '76. Il
A somewhat similar condition ex- t
ted when our Republic was founded. h
he great problem was to interest the IL
aople OF the colonies in the struggle. Il
hat struggle has become such an epic d
lat we are apt to think that all Amer p
ans had equal zeal in defending the ri
rights of the colonies. "
he fact unfortunately was to the con- cl
airy. John Adams, long after the g
volution had been brought to a sue t.
ssful conclusion, estimated that at W
e beginning Of the struggle one-third 81
the colonists wanted independence, II
'out one-third were very much Cd W
'sed to 1t, and about one-third were ri
a state Of opportunist expectancy, m
liting to see on which side the bal pl
zee would fall. While Adams was w
netting Of a chronic Pathfinder and or
ny have exaggerated. yet at the be- re
ming Of the revolution our people tn
re no more Of one mind than they va
3 now. ge
The great patriots Of the revolution. &c
n like Jefferson and Washington and ha
anklin. formed what they called Of
ommittees Of Correspondence" in ev- "a
different locality and thus they co.
the work Of different local. oti
IS and, as the crisis developed, there ma
ssed from community to community, tn,
'ough these committees Of CORE mi
'ndence, the intelligence as to what az
8 expected and what would be re- ert
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