Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-04-19
THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

TIE Knoxville Express discussing
the lynching at Collinsville, Illinois
says:
It now transpires that the Collins
Vile GIl) mob was drunk when it
hanged the German who talked too
much. Maybe it should not have
hanged him. but he will not offend
again. Perhaps his offense was no
worse than a good many in every
community that pass unpublished Be
that as it may, the occurrence calls
attention to the unwisdom Of dwelling
in a twilight zone Of sedition. No mob.
however drunken, is gong to hang
man known to be patriotic and out
spoken in his support of the govern
ment Mobs are deplorable manifesto
tions of right impulses gone wrong,
but the impulse is. in almost every
case. right. In too many cases MODS
are the legitimate result Of too little
impulse on the part Of the state and
too much impulse on the part Of the
mob Had the German who was
hanged at Collinsville had ordinary
horse sense he would have been alive
today. but he wanted to be smart and
talk sedition-and this is not time
for it. The man VINO evinces active op-
position or sulky neutrality in this
critical time Of Americas life struggle
e IN imminent personal danger and he
ought to realize it, We need great
armies of men. and they have been
and are being called to service. We
need billions and billions of money, and
it is being collected and must continue
to be collected as long as this war
shall last Men can no longer Turk in
a twilight zone of argument and hide
their money. We have arrived at
point where no man can evade his just
share Of the great burden without
provoking his community to action.
The Express makes one point in its
mob ANALYSIS that is important and
| timely. The twilight zone between
sedition and loyalty Is dangerous
ground. It is a no mans hand where it
IS hard 70 determine friend or foe.
Men belong in one trench or the other.
| There is no safety or honor in middle
ground In the dmness OF the twilight
zone mistakes are likely to occur. One
man and one thing may readily be
mistaken for another. Inactive and
| tagging loyalty in that dusk may be
| mistaken for disloyaity and as
| canoufage for pro- Germanism. The
real place for Americans is out in the
sunlight standing up to be counted.
1t is as the Express says men can
no longer Turk in a twilight zone OF
! argument and hide their money" The
| demand is for the common proofs and
| evidence Of loyalty. Those who talk
| near sedition and argumentative1y en-
deavor to obstruct the progress Of the
burden and hide from a common
responsibility assist and cultivate mobs
by their own actions. Some part OF
responsibility for their safety rests on
themselves.
Mobs should be sternly repressed
We all agree on that point and we
should agree on another-that the pre-
cautionary steps should be taken al
! once W those II authority te suppress
the obstructionist WITTY the luke.
warm, bring forward the bond Stacker
to his duty and thus protect the peace
against the probability Of mobs ant
mob vengeance. Whatever excuses WI
may urge for mobs as to their righ'
impulses gone wrong the mob itself Il
wrong and not to be borne There il
an equal duty before us that of keep
ing down mobs and with the hand 0
authority and OF public opinion sup
pressing even seeming disloyalty AM
! bringing forward the neutrals and tn
y ~ E. y . I. T