The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-08-29
SlDElldHTSM WIRMNES
OKLAHOMA CITY,
Aug. AZ, 1917.
JAMES T.. WHITESlDES,
MIISkOGEE OKLA

' ,utcTncI, GutA %
SEE BY III. oh.Aom.n that you r. in favor of tn. volunteer ...
tom The dispatch said you were passed for military service and
Your fellow citizen. laughed at you.
your pie. in order to get away. So you put the screws o n the mel who
s ss = Snd' os US,s'' T. to-. YOU No.. They ., had to take tn. matter up with
When your turn came before the district board, you presented a i2-pase
affidavit full of legal junk, telling in great dAul OF your plans for oil
You were excused o N industrial grounds.
understand you are a millionaire.
but you are a tramp in patriotism and citizenship.
You have never read the story of Kosciu,uko. Look him up in the
Country" Philip Nolan would ha,. ela,hsa At the name of yoa,
Lincoln, Warrington, Mirabeau " Garibaldl
H.. In Other word'. y you are . dollar patriot You tried to hide behind
the ;s,.ts Of your wife: You are a slask.r
hou, ! beg :, {, OF you; 40 not u write m, a letter telling me that you have
1t makes nj difference whether you spent half of what you have
to to. A san ySu, soG Sony,s sT , a. w s.,., you hay, have no not s given = tenth of what
For the sake Of your god-money-you have spotched a fair nam
I don't know whether you have any children. I hope not 1t will
o. Zine when me they ask SIX you; Daddy, what did you do in the great WARP"
.u, W " II IT have been a square thing for you to do to Offer your,
this nation in civil life, do you think tn, district board would have
passed you2 Certainly not.
tn, US a1 ~ .Se , nsnssy an Sn. fairness Of our government Is represented by
Who do you think will be remembered ~ger-whitesi the oil
millionaire who offered to join the national army a S a private
had money!
You ar. lh. unto the old gent who tried to slip through til. Golden
Gate with his bank account, " the biblical camel trying to squeeze
through the eye Of a needle. p
A man today 10 In one of two classes. He is either a patriot o a
Stacker. The man who thinks that making money is more important
than offering his services on the altar of democracy is not a patriot.
Do you think your mother thinks any more Of you than my fond
parent does Of 2 Do you think the poor lads south Of the slot are any
less valuable to their little family circle than you are in yours2
was 30 years old this month. have q registration card in my
pocket. expect to strip and be prodded like a COW o the block, by ar
army examiner, but l win not vince! l have a wonderful wife. l have
three beautiful babies. They have only me and my health and my job
an not going to beg for exemption. I want to be in this war the
worst way. want to be a man; l have faith in my government l
know Woodrow Wilson Is not going to ask me to face bullets until he
needs me, but perhaps / can work somewhere else and be in the ar
If he needs men of my class in the first line, will 20 proudly, but l
will cry for my wife and children.
Look yourself over, Mr.. Whitesides. See II you ire happy. Money
Is q hreless foreman. You have enough to support al your relatives
for a lifetime Yet you want to make more. The mad desire for none
has stolen your finer traits and smashed them into dollar signs.
This is America, Mr.. Whitesdes. Big fortunes are made and lost
here on the turn OF q wheel You won big when you gambled with
drills. But you lost when you diced with dishonor.
Poor sir-if you could only understand the lines written by the late
Rupert Brooke-a gifted young poet who died on the dunes of Galipoli-
"f should die
In some far, foreign land
Know there's Z spot
That 10 forever England"