Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1918-01-10

concord, I6,UU0 minute men modified
at the gates of Boston within 4S hours,
an amazing fact. when one thinks of
the limited population at that time.
II was the work Of the committees
OF correspondence. The committees
organized each locality, appealing to
the man at his home, and thus a pa
triotic sentiment was developed which
made of this country great and In
dependent nation. And so powerfully
did this impress itself upon the mas
| ter mind Of Thomas Jefferson that
when he was dying ON the fiftieth an
niversary Of the Declaration of indie
pendence he seemed again to remem-
Der those days Of stress and trial at
the beginning of the revolution, and
was heard to cry In his delirium ex-
citedly, "Warn the committees; warn
the committees !"
| People Must Know Issues.
| We will not make full progress in
this war until we can bring home to
the people to their very hearthstones,
that not only is this as vital contest
as any that America was ever en-
gagged in, but that is one that affects
the happiness, prosperity, and the hon.
or of the American people.
| Remember the fine lines Of the no.
blest hymn ever written for any ma
ton In the hour of battle-I mean
Julia Ward Howe's Battle Hymn Of
the Republic, and nothing in any liter
allure has a more martial movement
than that most stirring of all battle
hymns:
He has sounded forth the trumpet that
| shall never call retreat,
| He Is Sitting out the hearts of men before
| His Judgment seat,
| oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him, be
| 5ubilant, my feet.
| Our God is marching on.
Is our soul swift to answer our
countrys call? Are our feet jubilant
| to enter into this contest? If not,
then the nation is in peril. This war
win not be matter of months, and
sooner or later the mere patriotic SUBJ
mission to political action of a gov
eminent will spend its force. A people
must have a definite enthusiasm If 1t
Is to give the best blood of its youth
to any cause. You will not find that
spirit until you reach the individual
American and teach him that he has
a vital and personal interest in this
particular war.
Rule of Force Must Go.
Our people must be brought to real
/ to w-f@alIxy and xro faoIIr Tint tftc
war involves the sacred principle of
righteousness In international affairs,
| the rule of reason in the common
wealth of nations, and that unless this
be indicated by a peace with victory,
all talk of the pacification of humanity,
whether by The Hague tribunal or
paper treaties or leagues of peace o.
in any other way you please, is all
rainbow phantasy and moonshine. I'M
less there can be first established the
great principle Of right and reason
| the principle of law dominating sover-
eign nations, liberal civilization will
/ perish from the earth. When Ger
many and Austria attempted to crush
| Serbia without rhyme or reason, with
out opportunity for discussion, Great
| Britain, France, and Russia said, "Let
US reason about it" and Germany said
mol" "Then give us little time"
"Nol'' "Then let US have confer
| ence." "No!" stThen let us have ar
/ bitration." moi" Let us have me-
diation." mol" 'Let us discuss it
in any way you please, by any expe-
dent you may select; you can have
Belgrade and occupy it as hostage,
but for Gods sake do not spill the best
blood of the world needlessly. Ger
many and Austria said, mo! You
will do our will or you will have a
universal war"
If that principle Of force as the
ultima ratio is to prevail, the world
will go back centuries, even to the
cave dwellers; because, If you go back
even twenty centuries, the law Of Rome
had at least something of justice and
Of the obligations of law in its main
tenance Of the worlds peace; whereas
In this case you have brutal and
primitive negation of any principle Of
right or wrong, you have simple the
assertion that might, and might alone,
shall govern the affairs of men.
Most Sacred Cause.
There never was a more sacred
cause fought for since the world be-
gan than that for which France and
Great Britain and their allies have
hitherto so freely given the best blood
of their youth.
do not want to live In this world IL
this world is to be dominated by bru-
tai force. Whatever optimism | might
have had three months ago / have not
in the same measure now. think
the issue of this titanic conflict Is very
doubtful. 1t is a life-and-death Crap
pie between the two great powers of
right and might; but want to say ad-
| visedly and deliberately that If saw
clearly that the cause of the allies was
going down to defeat, that we were
to be involved in that defeat that we
L. ~.I<~>