The Parker post., 1917-06-09

it's old and new testament.
1T is more precious that this Am
erica should live than that we Amer
leans should live And this America
as we now see has been challenged
from the first of the war by the
strong arm of power that has no
sympathy with our purpose, and will
not hesitate to destroy us if the law
that we respect, the rights that are
to us sacred, the spirit that we have,
stand across her set will to make
this world bow before her policies,
backed by her organized and scien-
tific military system. The world of
Christ-a neglected but not reject
ed Christ-has come again face to
face with the world of Mahomet, who
willed to win by force.
with this background of history
and in this sense, then, we fight Ger
many because of Belgium invaded,
outraged, enslaved, impoverished Bel
gium. We cannot forget Liege,
Louvain and Cardinal Marcier.
Translated into terms Of American
history these names stand for Bun
ker Hill, Lexington and Patrick
Henry
Because OF France, invaded, desc
Grated France, a million of whose
heroic sons have died to save the
land of Lafayette. Glorious, golden
France, the preserver of the arts, the
! land of noble spirit The first land
to follow our lead into republican
liberty
Because of England-fron, whom
came the laws, traditions, standards
Of life and inherent love Of liberty
which we call Anglo-SaxoE civiliza-
ton. We defeated her once on the
land and once upon the sea. But
Australia, New leland, Africa and
Canada are free because of what we
did. And they are with us in the
fight for the freedom of the seas.
Because of Russia--new Russia.
She must not be overwhelmed now.
Not now, surely, when she is just
born into freedom. Her peasants
must have their chance; they must
go to school to Washington, to Jeffer-
son and to Lincoln, until they know
their way about this new, strange
world, of government by the popu-
lar will, and,
Because of other peoples, with
their rising hopes that the world may
be freed from government by the
soldier.
eve are fighting Germany because
she sought to terrorize us and then to
fool us. We could not believe that
Germany would do what she said she
would do upon the seas.
1--WE still hear the piteous cry of
children coming up out Of the sea
where the Lusitania went down.
And Germany has never asked for
giveness of the world.
eve saw the Sussex sunk, crowded
with the sons and daughters of neu-
trail nations.
eve saw ship after ship sent to
the bottOm-ships of mercy hound
out of America for the Belgian starv-
ing-ships carrying the Red Cross
and laden with the wounded of all
nations ships carrying food and
clothing to friendly, harmless. ter
roriZed peoples--sept TO the bottom
hundreds Of miles from shore, man
| ned by American seamen, murdered
| against all Law without warning.
1--WE believed Germany's promise
that she would respect the neutral
flag and the rights of neutrals, ard
we held our ange" and outrage in
check. But now we see that she was
holding us off with fair promises un-
til she could bull l her huge feet Of
submarines. For when spring came
she blew her promise into the air,
just as at the beginning she had
torn up that scrap OF paper.
''Then we saw clearly that there
was but one law for Germany, her
will to rule
I'VE are fighting Germany because
she violated our confidence. Paid
| German spies filed our cities. Of
ficials of her government, received as
the guests OF 1his nation, lived with
| us to bribe and terrorize, defying our
law and the law of nations.
''We are fighting Germany because
while we were yet her friends the
only great power that still held
hands off-she sent the Zimmerman
note. calling TO ber aid Mexico, our
southern neighbor and hoping to
lure Japan, our western neighbor,
i@1&@ to-, t. 80