Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-09-15
OBSTRUCTIONISTS
ARE TRAITORS TO
U. S., SAYS ROOT
Arguments Against the War
Are Enemy Arguments,
He Points Out

Chicago, ILL.,, Sept. is. = Before
$4,000 persons gathered at the war
mass meeting in -the Coliseum last
night Elihu Root defined the word
traitor" as it applies in this crisis.
Arguments against the war are
| enemy arguments" he declared,
while the great crowd shouted it's
approval. Their spirit is the spirit
of rebellion and the effect is to him
| der and lessen popular support. They
encourage the enemy"
When the throng had given vent to
! it's hearty appreciation he paused
dramatically and declared: Such
persons are rendering more effective
service to Germany than they could
| render on the battlefield with arms.
Their purpose is so plain that 1t is
| impossible to resist the conclusion
| that the great number of them are
| attempting to bring triumph to Ger
| many"
Summing up this terrific broadside
against propagandists and others
who are hindering the government in
| the vigorous prosecution of the war,
the gray-haired statesman declared:
anyone who by argument is him
dering the government and knows
what he is doing is traitor"
Mr.. Root, who appeared on the
| platform with Samuel Gompers as
co-speaker of the evening, mentioned
no names in his powerful address.
In defining the attitude of citizens
toward the con 1ucr of the war and
| incidentally what constituted being
a traitor, Elihu Root said:
| War Changes All
"The declaration of war between
the United States and Germany COM
pletely changed the relations of all
the inhabitants of the country to the
subject of peace and war.
| Before the declaration everybody
had a right to discuss whether the
| United States should carry on war
against Germany. But the question
| of peace or war has now been de-
| cided by the President and Congress,
not suddenly or rashly, but advisedly
| after n long delay and discussion and
patience under provocaton after
repeated diplomatic warnings to Ger
many, known to the whole country.
When such a decision has been made
| the duties-and, therefore, the rights
] of all the people of the country i'm
mediately change. 1t becomes their
/ duty to stop discussion upon the
| question decided and to act, to pro-
! ceed Immediately to do everything in
| their power to enable the govern
ment of their country to succeed in
| the war upon which the country has
| entered.
"A nation which declares war and
! goes on discussing whether it ought
to have declared war or not is i'm
potent. A democracy which cannot
accept its own decisions, made in
| accordance with it's own laws. but
must keep on endlessly discussing the
| question already decided, has failed
| in the fundamental requirements of
| self-government; and If the decision
| is to make~ar. the failure to exhibit
| capacity for elf-government by &C
ton will inevitably result in the loss
of the right of self-government.
United States Must Win
Nearly half year has passed and
! still we are not ready to fight. 1 am
not blaming the government. 1t was
inevitable. Preparation for modern
war requires long periods of time,
and the more peaceful and unpre-
pared for war a democracy is the
| longer is the time required.
1.-The history. the character, the
avowed principles of action, the
manifest and undi5sui5eL purpose OF
| the German autocracy, made 1t clear
and certain that If America stayed
out of the great war, and Germany
| WOH, AliltIlCd WOulu lOl lllWlIt p6
required to defend herself. and would
be able. to defend herself against the
same lust for conquest, the same will
to dominate the world which has
made Europe bloody shambles.
1.-THE instinct of the American
democracy which led it to a@ when
1t did arose from long delayed and
reluctant consciousness, still vague
| and half expressed. that this is no
ordinary war which the world is
waging.
"It is the climax of the supreme
struggle between autocracy and
democracy. If autocracy is defeated
| the nations are compelled to rec
ognize the rules of law and of mo-
rails; then. and then only. will dem
| ocracy be safe.
ITO this great conflict for human
rights and human liberty America
! has committed herself. There can be
no backward step. There must be
! either humiliating and degrading
i submission or glorious victory"