The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-04-27
It is no time in indulge in unnecessary


delays or chances, for there is n
appeal from its decisions on tn
e ground Of errors. It is 20 time 70,
: fddling on the part of those in charg'
!. of the national destiny. There is n,
l necessity for it-no excuse for it. Tn,
t path of duty and wisdom has been in
| dicated too plainly by the 'present wa
| 1t has demonstrated more forcib.
|, than all the wars Of the world com
. bined, just two things-what efficiency
and inefficiency can and cannot do
And one Of the things it has proven
as all other wars have, is that vol
untary service is inefficient and cannot
be depended upon-that it results in
the unnecessary sacrifice and slaugh-
ter of that minority that always re-
spends most quickly and freely to any
call Of their country. It is not fair or
just to them, or to the nation, and it is
not any nor practicable than the vol
untary payment Of taxes.
Weare denying to the Commander
in Chief of the Army as much power
as is vested in the Sheriff Of Lefiore
County. There is not a Sheriff in the
United States that cannot summons,
under compulsion, such assistance as
an emergency may demand.
Why not now, for all time, give
every citizen of the United States
to understand beyond cavil or ques-
ton, that he has no interest para
mount to that Of the United States
that this is the theory, the principle,
upon which all governments are found
ed, whether monarchy or republic
that faithfully and impartially he will
be called upon to discharge every duty
devolving upon him as a citizen or
soldier, and that his person and prop
erty, if need be, are at the beck and
call Of the government-that he has
no more right or reason to expect i'm
munity from service, II needed, than
from taxation, if subject thereto. This
is what war means. It is what eff
cheney means It is what success at
the least cost Of life and money means.
War is the supreme test Of national
existence. IL the nation cannot COM
mand it's citizens, its resources, in such
a crisis, it's government is a failure.
It is not founded on the single thing
absolutely essential to the preserva-
ton of the national life-the ability,
without delay or question, to CONSOLE
date every individual and resource Of
the entire nation into a perfectly or
ganized effort and unit for its defense.
The more quickly we recognize this
fact, and cemmensense necessity for
it, and the more ch~eerfully, gracefully
and periodically we acquiesce, the
safer III government and liberties be-
come, and fewer the dangers Of war.
As a nation we are prone to an
exaggerated idea of the nature and ex-
tent of our rights and liberties. 1t is
a mistake to assume that in all mat
tiers we have a right to do as we
please. Too much freedom breeds an
archy. Ones rights end where anoth-
er's gebin. Nor can we demand more
Fights and privileges Of a government
than we are willing to accord, in de-
tense Of its existence. A free govern
ment can be no more nor less than
a mutual exchange of rights, and lib
critics and protection, between the in
dividual and the community. If the
rights were all with the individual, it
would be Anarchy. If with the gov
eminent, a monarchy. If equally div
ided between the governed and the
government, an ideal republic.
Let us be fair to our government
in this crisis, and concede to il; ne
right to defend its honcf and exist
in the quickest and most efficient
manner possible, along the lines sug-
by the emergencies of the sit
.uation, and by the experts whom we
have provided for it's guidance, rather
than by our sentiments in the matter.
Respt., F. HERR.