East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1918-04-20
WHY WE ARE
ATWARWITH
GERMANY
BY
EPHRAIM DOUGLASS ADAMS
Executive Head. History Depart
nnent
Leland Stanford Junior University

THE object. Of this war Is TO deliver
the free peoples Of the world from the
menace and the actual power q q vast
secretly planted 10 dominate tine world.
seSsrd ether 10 the sacred @ obIIcstioHs
tIees and Ions-cherished. principles Of In
power il not f the I German nam people. II is
| the ruthless master Of 4he German peo
ple: . Z Z our business to see &c to
President Wilson, August n, 1917.
TRAITORS TO OUR DEMOCRACY.
The general definition Of traitor
is one who gives aid and comfort TO
the enemy" This is usually applied
TO direct action, as in the Oklahoma
movement in opposition to the draft,
or the encouragement of draft eva
sions, or when an American citizen re-
veals our war plans to Germany.
Such acts constitute direct treason;
but there is a kind of indirect treason,
much harder to define and combat, yet
often far more dangerous to our coun-
| try and the success Of the war than
direct treason. Before the war there
political, or humanitarian movements
on foot, all OF which were radical
(that is to say, advocates Of cbGnOe)
in their programs. Such, for example,
were the Socialists, the Land Tax re-
| formers, the Pacifsts. But all of
these asserted faith in the democratic
principle in negovernment and wished TO
gain their ends by converting our
democracY, Most Of the adherents
Of these various movements have rec
ognized that this democracy Of ours
having entered upon war, must be
supported-that special programs
must, for the moment, be subordinated
to the one great object Of tOt'ntH5 the
tcGr. But there are some persons SO
feeble-minded or SO incapable of grasp
ing the world importance of this war,
that they talk and write things cal
culated to weaken our efficiency in
war. These people are traitors to our
democracy.
The whole matter is summed up by
the Single Tax 16urnal Of California
CEUervmGn, November, Is17): Wi
sons business now Is to win the war,
and win it soon. The radical
press should stop knocking him and
attend to its own business-which is
to create the democracy that the Allies
are to make the world safe for. To
fight war, after it is on, is bootless.
To hinder its quick, effective prosecN-
tion IS, Of course, trditorous."
But there are other methods than
radical speech which can hinder the
quick, effective prosecution Of the
war" Labor organizations. long en-
gagged in a struggle for better labor
conditions, may see in the existence of
war an opportunity to secure their de
mands. II such demands are unusual
and il they would have been unjusti-
fed had there been no war-if labor
seeks to take special advantage of the
existence of. war, then such labor is
traitorous. It hinders the successful
prosecution of the war. For the most
part, labor organizations have not
sought such special advantage, but
a few have done so. and in public ess
timation they stand as traitors to our
democracy.
Business men-men with capital.
are not free from the imputation of
traitorous conduct That man who
places his own business interests
above the interests of the nation in
this war is traitorously minded. II
he deliberately seeks profit at the ex-
pense Of national efficiency (as in the
sale of undergrade materials to the
government) he should be punished,
not simply as a cheat, but as traitor.
This is the rare exceptjonn 1t is the
almost unconscious exaltadon Of his
own business interests, however, that
makes the average business man dan
gerously liable to traitorous conduct.
There is no such thing as business
as usual" during a war.
Finally, the question Of honest tax
returns and OF subscribing TO war
loans is directly and positively ques-
tion OF loyalty or treason. There is
no need to argue the point that the
man who conceals his resources, or
makes dishonest tax returns is a
traitor in intent and deed. What
about lending to the government?
Such lending means usually slight
sacrifice. But the war can not be
won without sacrifices-and great sac
rifces. II a man has money which he 1
can lend, and il he does not lend, he Z
is traitorous, for he hinders the quick I
and effective prosecution Of the war. I
Such traitors may indeed never be I
brought to punishment, even though
they deserve it as much as the radi- l
cal Pacifist who argues against this I
war, or eoyertly belittles the honesty (
OF the purposes OF our Allies. But T
the radical toho SHeerS, and the man I
ioim money tcho cdH lend and does Z
rot, are alike sfrdifOrOHS 10 our couH-
try, TO our faith in democracy, and
TO our objects IN this scar. Aud ice. /
trho do make sacrifices, knOtc them for
the traitors that they are.