Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-09-06
BE AMERICAN AND BE SAFE

| by what sort of reasoning can any
American citizen bring himself to
nope that, in war America is waging
ON Germany and other central powers,
America will be defeated and her
enemies declared the victors?
III such an indivldual,does exist and
| II he expects to continue to make
America his home, regardless of the
result OF the war, if his interests in
the future of America he must be a
| peculiarly constituted individual, for
with America the victor he will share
with other Americans the fruits of
victory, while with her enemies the
Vlctors he must as surely share with
other Americans the burdens, hard
ships and humiliations that are the
part of the loosers in all such con-
tests.
The German government, if it shall
eventually be declared the winner of
the war, will not rearch out to re-
ward them, those who have been
traitors to the American cause and
friendly to Germany. 1t will have
too many subjects, whose loyalty is
unquestioned, to look after. Rather
will it shun and dispise those who
nave been traitors to the country to
which they have owed allegiance.
The German government will feel,
very properly SO too, that if such an
individual did not remain loyal and
steadfast to American ideals and in
stltutlons, to his country, he cannot
be trusted by Germany. Such per-
son, should Germany win the war,
would probably be treated with less
consideration than the person who
has remained true to his country, for
steadfastness is one of the require
ments of German citizenship else
that people and its armies could not
solong have wjthstood the pressure
of nearly all of the other great coun-
tries of the world.
There were many people through
out the land. in all walks of life and
of all nationalities, who honestly and
with some reason questioned the ad-
visibility of America entering the
war, who opposed such action as they
had right to do. Bnt, America hav-
ing entered the war, all that is chang
ed, sAmeiica, should it lose in the
struggle, must pay the penalty. That
means the people Of America. the in
diViduals who go to make up the 100,
900 free American citizens, the ones
who opposed Americas s entrance into
the war as we'll as those who favored
it. 1t means more. 1t means that
those who today seek to handicap the
government in the prosecution of the
war as we'll as those who are exert
ing their every effort and influence
and power to aid the government
whether in the army or navy, in the
store, office, shop, pulpit, school or
elsewhere. Americans, if America
'OSCo viz VOL, WuOIllOl llSy nave
been loyal Americans or not must
pay the penalty for having opposed
the will of the imperial German gov
ernment.
An American citizen has everything
to gain and nothing to lose by loyalty
supporting the American government
in this time of its greatest peril.
That same citizen, by whatever man
ner of reasoning pursued, has every
thing to lose and absolutely nothing
to gain by allowing himself to become
disloyal to the extent that he would
handicap America in its prosecution
of the war. He most certainly can
not If he develops trait of disloyal
to gain the esteem of his fellow Amer
lean citizens, win or lose, and 1t is
beyond the reach of reason that, be.
ing an American citizen, he can gain
the esteem, confidence and respect of
the imperial German government,
should that government be the win
ner in the great conflict.
You are an American citizen. Then
be loyal and be safe.