Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-08-30
SHALL j. 5. WIN?

Judge Lueck of Merton, Wis, de-
livered an address to his townspeople
IN which he said many good things
Our space permits quoting only por-
ton of his address, which follows:
There is no issue now as to whether
we ought to be in the war or not. That
has been settled; we are in it. But
when nation is actually engaged in
war there are no distinctions so far as
duty to our country is concerned; and
the obligations of citizenship rest upon
all alike, regardless of what their
views may be.
THE only question that should now
concern us is, Do we want to win or
do we want to lose? We cannot af-
ford TO lose. The consequences of
defeat are more than sufficient to pre-
clude every hope, every thought, ex-
cept that of an American victory.
"Some day this terrible conflict is
going to close and God grant it may
be soon-and then final adjustment
will be made. The position of this
country is not unlike that of the other
belligerents; and with the others it
will be dealt with as one of the parties
to the war. The fortunes of America
after the close of the conflict will of
course depend largely upon whether
it is one of the victorious or one of
the vanquished nations Success
means an assurance that this nation
and the free institutions for which it
stands purchased at the cost of the
blood and treasure of past generations
will not be hampered in their progress
and development; but if we lose no
one can fOretell the great sacrifices
that may be required in the future in
order to preserve our liberty. Even
the effect of defeat would be exreme-
ly serious, indeed, America is about
the only one of the belligerents that
has anything left; and, if weakened
by defeat, it would not be in a position
to withstand the effort that will surely
be made to pluck what still remains.
"But we are not going to lose; we
are going to win. Never yet has old
Glory been compelled to drape it's folds
ways commanded and never suppl
Gated. And while it has bowed with
gracious dignity to liberty and justice
it has never knelt at the feet of any
king or potentate asking him to give
US something. Within it's folds are for
ty-eight bright stars representing the
resources of forty-eight separate, but
inseparable, states and the combined
strength of over 100,000,000 loyal
people. And great and glorious as
have been the achievements Of this
country's past, cherish as we very
properly do the memory of those who
made the name of America conspicu-
Gus in the history of the world, proud
as we are of the virtues of our fore
fathers, we believe that the men Of the
past may not have been any better
than those Of this generation; and that
when the war is over another chapter
will have been written to the history
| of America that will not suffer by
comparison with any Of the previous
ones.
''The welfare of the young men, the
flower of the young manhood Of the
world, who have already volunteered
to stake their lives with their country
the welfare of those who soon will re-
spond to the call of the colors,the in
tegrity of this republic and the inter
ests of every one who depends upon
the welfare of the country for his
protection all point to single course
the forward one, the path that leads
to victory, the way that thru trium-
plant America there may be some
power strong enough when the final
adjustment is made to press the cause
of democracy against all the autocrats
of the world The extent of the sa-
crifces in men and treasure that we
must make is inseparably associated
with the duration of the war A spec
dy close with the aims Of America
either wholly or substantially &C.
complished means saving not alone
for the present but for all time to
come; and the way to hasten the end
is to send the conviction abroad that
America is united and can and will
respond with all of its great resources.
Let us not lend encouragement to the
enemy by any show of weakness that
follows from division or hesitation.