The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-10-10
By Charles M. Morrison.

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And the Germans? They have raised loan after
Oan each time managing to OverSubScribe the
amount called for by Wilhelm and his General Staff
Austria too battered in the first years Of the war by
Russia and cruelty hurt by the devoted Italians along
the lsonzo, has managed to finance her part of the
struggle. The news that German loan had failed
would be hailed by the allies as the beginning of the
end for the Germans. ~ ~
We loaned great sums to the allies to help carry
them along until both our men and our money could
take places the battle line. And now our men by
the hundreds of thousands are in France 1t is more
than ever necessary that we back them up with the
last dollar if need be- ...s
permit the Fourth Liberty Loan or any other
Liberty Loan to fail would be to announce to the
world that word is no better than that of the
German, who agrees to abide by the civilized code Of
warfare and then breaks his word by bombing hos
pitfalls, killing civilians and using poison gas. Our
pledged word would amount to no more than "the
scrap of paper of the German For we have pledged
our word as nation and that pledge is binding upon
every American to fight this thing through with the
allies to victorious peace And the first thing to do
in carrying out that pledge is to find the money
whereWith to keep our armies in the field our navy
on the and the food and supplies going across
the water. And that takes money and the money
that it will take in the banks and the pockets of the
American.
Who would want the task of breaking the news
to General Pershng that America had failed to raise
the loan that had been asked? Who would want to
be sent to go down the trenches manned by American
troops and tell these that the stayat-homes had
decided to keep their money in their pockets and let
the men who had gone to fight for them look out for
themselves? And who would want to face these men
if they ever come back to America with questions
on their lips? s.sssse y.
Who would want to be an American after such
catastrophe had taken place? And what would
happen to the civilian population the fat easeloving
folks who had stupidity muddled along and let the
loan fail, when the men whom they had betrayed
came home again? Every dollar that had failed to
find its way into the Liberty Loans would be curse
to its owner if that time should come
These would be only few of the possible results
Of failure on the part of the American people to
do their part in the Fourth Liberty Loan. And that
is why it is SO important that every town and town.
ship, every city and county and every section ard
every state shall not only reach its quota of the loan
but shall oversubscrbe it. The money must be raised
if there is any faith and any responsibility to their
pledged words in American hearts
At the present time the United States is the very
foundation of the allied world. Our men, our gums
our airpanes, our ships, fields and our money
have been offered them to help in overcoming
mon foe The raising of a loan and its over
subscription is the strongest and most significant
vote of confidence in the war, the administration,
the nation, in civilization itself that could be given.
The dollar speaks loudly even louder than the bal
lot right now. 1t means that not Indifferent
to the war; and it speaks very plainly to pur-
poses.
The course of the war during the next few
months depends upon the Fourth Liberty Loan If
it is oversubscrbed will be, it will strengthen
the hands of Field Marshal Foch the allied supreme
commander He will know that he can count upon
America. He will understand that not only is the
army and the navy at his disposal, but that back Of
the men who in France back of the ships that
on the seas and the ships now building in American
yards, is the whole American people, one hundred
and ten millions of them united with but purpose
He would know that the Hun might be able to hold
on for months longer, but that in the end he must
go back across the Rhine and meet his ultimate anG
:, final defeat on his own soil.
i ~ But what would it mean to the armies now fac
ing another winter of cold and privation to know
that the American loan had failed and that America
" was not supporting the war? ra
IS ssfes9 =