The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1917-06-07

1oui representatives IN Lne COn-
gress of the United States, the men
you sent there to speak for you, af-
ter having been Informed by your
President of the issues involved in
this supreme contest in the worlds
history" he said, declared, by prac-
tically unanimous vote, that the rights
of the American people had been put
in jeopardy by the aggressions Of a
foreign power.
Every One Owes Feaity to Flag
at makes no difference by what
! name that foreign power may be
called. The fact that it has commit
ted repeated aggressions upon Amer
lean rights, that it has subjected this
| nation to indignities and wrongs
which no self-respecting nation could
afford to endure, that war has re-
suited, and that we are in it, means
that every citizen, no matter what his
birth or origin, owes fealty to the
flag; 49, ,;o.o,. -
every nation when the hand Of an I'M
seen power directs things, when indi-
viduals are absolutely impotent to
control the course of great events.
This is one Of those supreme crises.
believe that God has called this
nation into this struggle because He
had mighty purpose to serve.
"Where there is democracy and
self-government, nations cannot be
hurled into war by the arbitrary will
of any individual. We have lived
here in the United States alongside
Canada, which is practically a great
republic because they have self-gov:
eminent, for more than one hundred
years, and we have never had to pa.
troll one foot Of the three thousand
miles of border with an armed sol
der. Isn't that a striking example
of what it means to have self-govern-
ment among contiguous peoples?
"The overshadowing danger to civ.
ilization today is the German mill
! tary autocracy. The Kaiser, with 9
ljmitless and lustful ambition un-
paralleled in history. has set out up
on scheme of universal dominion
In order to win, he has determined
that neither The laws of humanity
nor the rights Of any nation shall
stand in the way; that is the reason
! ha has committed these insufferable
aggressions upon the American ma
ton. !-'----: .i1E' II e 11i.I
"Why is it that we have not fell
sooner the extent Of this menace? II
!, is because we have been lulled into 9
:, false sense of security by the three
thousand miles of water between US
: ard Europe. For a long time thai
was enough, but modern science anc
: invention have narrowed the Atlantic
! to such an extent that it is little
more today, SO far as modern war
: fare is concerned, than river
"Do you know what would happen
: if Germany should be victorious, as
; she would be if she could bring
France and England to their knees
She would take the entire British and
French fleets, release her own great
fleet. which has been tied up in the
Baltic during the war and combining
! these with the most destructive sub
marine fleet on earth-because she
has it-she would come here and put
y the iron heel of conquerer upon your
shores. We should have to fall back
: to the interior, and there is no tell.
ing how long it would take to expe
the enemy, if we ever did. If we
couldn't do it promptly, do you know
what would happen to America? we
should have to make the most humll
iating terms that any great natlo1
D ever made to get peace. We shoult
e have to pay an indemnity that woult
: represent half the wealth of America
: which is s25O,OOO, 100000 and yo'
: would have taxation upon you
: shoulders to meet that indemnity TO
S centuries to come.
e Must First Equip Armies
: "The first thing we must do IS t
S raise the money to equip our. armie
and put them in the field and to ex
s tend credit to the great nations q,
n Europe which are cooperating wit
n us. We must give them credit to en-
r able them to purchase here the. nee
Il essary supplies and munitions Of wa
g in order that they may make thei
S soldiers most effective in battle. Tn
r more effective we make them, tn