The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-07-11

port to your nearest police station MS
name and address. Quick action will
follow. The case will be very care
fully investigated by the Department
of Justice and If the charges are sub
stantiated, that German is going to
disappear. Perhaps after the war we
will see him again, and perhaps we
won't. Let us hope we won't. For
the United States will be rid of par
asite on the folds of the Star Span
gled Banner.
If the United Staes throws an army
of ten million men on the front
against Germany, the war cannot be
won unless this mighty army is
backed by a still more powerful army
the army of the people who stay at
home. The averaged, the women,
the physically unfit and the under
aged. We are all privated in the
army of Uncle Sam, whether we are
men, women or children; whether
we wear civilian clothes or uni
form; and Uncle Sam expects you to
do your duty as a private. This war
is not going to be over in few
months. We have probably years of
fighting before us and the United
States must bear the brunt. There
will be thousands of our boys who
will never come home. They will
rest under a little wooden cross some
where in France. Do you realize
what it means? Let me try to ex-
plain its significance. Go over to the
American sector in France this very
night about six or seven hundred
yards behind the front line trench,
and there you will see two little rough
pine boards nailed in the shape Of a
cross, standing at the head Of a little
mound of dirt. Perhaps you will have
to scrape mud from this little cross
to decipher the crude inscription in
black paint. It will read like this:
PRIVATE JOHN SMITH, No. 1903
Co. A. 1863 U. s. nifty. 249 Brigade,
KILLED IN ACTION JULY 9th, 1918
r. P.
= This little wooden cross means that
an American soldier is dead and Is
buried in the ground of France, thou.
sands of miles across the water and
that ne is never again going to see
this Gods country of ours and Gods
people. 1t means that he is lying
over there, lonely, his soul praying to
the army of the people who stay at
home, either to avenge his death or
to support his mates who are fighting
above his head in the trenches of
France. In time the elements will
destroy that little mound of dirt and
all trace of the resting place of that
heroic soldier who gave his life for
his country is wiped out forever.
Friends, 1t is up to the stay.at.
homes to say whether or not hun.
dreds or thousands Of these crosses
shall spring up all over France For
II you DO not support our fighting
army, it means that they will be i'm
properly equipped, and improperlv
led, thus causing hundreds of thou
sands of deaths. Now remembar
Americans, when this peace treaty Is
signed, whether in Berlin, Paris a,
Washington, as we dictate. that does
not mean that these boys will have
their arms, their legs or their s,ph,
restored. Perhaps in years to come
when this war is more or less du,,ed
IN our memories and the deeds of ON
boys are forgotten, these handicapned
lads will have to struggle for an exist
ence' But the wonderful part Of if is
on their faces is a beautiful smile
there is not a complaint in tbei,
voices; they figure it out In this wav
our country has been very generous
To us; we offered our lives tn hc,
ana she saw fit to take only our arms
or our legs, or our sight" Now
friends, If these boys can look at II
this way, what should we who stay
at home, do? 1t ought to make every
Americans blood boil, 1t ought r.
make very American give twent,
four hours day to Uncle Sam for the
duration of the war Gentlemen, arc
these wounded soldier to come bacb
to the United States. the country the,
fought and bled for, and hear tn,
German language spoken all arounf
them? There is only one logical wa,