Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-10-12
SENATOR soRAH's WAR SPEECH

Senator Borah delivered q speech
last Saturday night at the 4 P. Hall
to large audience His subject was
the War Conditions" II was a sub
I ject on which everyone wished all pos
/ sible information and welcomed this
opportunity first hand from one best
qualified 10 know the facts from their
fountain head
The Senator said in part: We are
at war through no fault Of our own
The war was not Of our making The
president exhausted every possible
means az his command 10 avoid the
conflict but Germany was determined
% force the United States either to
fight or become a subject nation Il
IS not a foreign war It IS our var
Had We waited 70 enter the war unit,
the allies were whipped we would have
had TO fight alone and On our own
shores. Il was wisdom 10 save the lives
and property TO meet the foe or the
soil OF France while We yet had help
from the unvanquished allies
When people object TO our troops
fighting on foreign soil they are either
ignorant Of conditions which make such
fighting the better way 70 do It. OF they
are entent on creating dissentious in
our ranks 50 as 10 weaken Us at home
as much as possible and strengthen
our enemies to the extetn Of their abil-
ity. IN other words they are traitors
who wish 10 aid our enemies and one
such enemy IN our misst can do more
harm and do Germany more good than
ten men in the trenches The question
Of whether the war is justified OF not
is beyond the point OF discussion for
any loyal American citizen as is also
the question Of the seIective draft me
thod Of raising our army. There is but
one course marked out for every loyal
American citizen. and that is TO sup
port the government in a whole heart (
ed manner.
The three great questions before any Z
government in time OF war are Men
Money and Materials
The question of getting the neces- !
sary men has been settled by the selec- /
tive draft. It is not open to further /
discussion because it is a law and II 1
Is our duty TO support IL II it is a I
bad law 1t viii be open for discus
sion when the time comes for the peo-
pie to determine the policy Of the gov
ernment by their votes.
The question Of getting the money
for the war is still on open question
and its discussion is not only hgiti-
mate but il is the duty OF every citt-
gen TO discuss it and study it. Two
methods are in use for raising war
taxes and bonds. Experience
II the past teaches that certain "a
10 exists between the amounts 10
,e raised BY these two methods and
10 ignore that ratio either By Issuing
,onds in excess. or laying taxes in
,xcess. produce imitation with an its
lireful consequences and evils. An
xcess OF taxes places an unsupporta-
,ls burden on the present generation
Z tax payers
'.The selective draft requires OF each
erson drawn that he contribute for the {
ommon good TO the extent OF his e
hility. physical and mental just =
ysten Of taxation should be distribu- {
ed among the citizenship OF the Re c
ublic on the same basis-abIity TO ;
srve. The man with his millions
hould be required TO contribute to
e extent OF his ability the same as b
he man with the hrawn and muscle in a
le ranks. On this basis those indus 4
lies which OF necessity must profit Il
by reason OF the war mater $