Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-03-26

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WIscoNsiN's WARNING
Wisconsin's pro Germans have rea
son to fell angry toward Milwaukee,
socialists. Had the latter turned from
Victor Bergers rather meaningless
candidacy to support Thompson fol
; the republican senatorial nomination
he would have defeated Congressman
Lenroot and Wisconsin's disgrace
would have been complete. But the
kaiser would have been overjoyed.
AS it is, Lenroot's victory leaves the
partisans Of Germany ample excuse
for gloating. Also 1t shows what q
community Of disloyalty Wisconsin
has become as a result Of its combina'
ton Of German citizenship, socialism
and La FOllette's particular brand OF
destructive distemper.
There are many thousands Of loyal
Americans In Wisconsin, but they are
in bad company. There also are many
thousands Of disloyal persons, and
they should be In vast internment
camps.
Tuesdays election was a test OF
Wisconsin's loyalty, and much Of Wis.
consin failed to measure up to the
proper standard. The liquor question
entered into the campaign, to be sure,
and there were personal issues as
there are in every political fight. But
the real battle was between loyal
Americanism and ro-Germanism
and It IL to the everlasting disgrace
Of wisconsin that Americanism al
most went down to defeat
Tho socialist vote as registered in
the primary was enormous as com
pared with that Of former years. That
10 q fact which should attract the at.
tlntion Of thinking voters in Iowa,
whore socialism Is making desperate
effort right now to win recruits. While
1t IL true that the vote recorded as
socialistic was not cast entirely by
men who subscribe to all the doc
trines and theories Of socialism. the
fact remains that all of them chose
to vote the socialists ticket rs q
secret method Of voicing their opp0si.
ton to tho government, its war policies
and its vigilance In Furnishing sedidon.
Many of those votes were cast too,
by men who. deep in their hearts, har.
Dor the wish and hope that the kaiser
may win In his war Of grab and az
gression. murder and mayhem, inn.
delism and pillage.
Berger's vote In Milwaukee cut
Thompson's vote in the state. Out.
side of the city, which BY virtue Of the
election would have first claim to
honors % the national capital should
the Huns overrun America. Bergers
prestige was not great enough to at
tract the German and La Toilette con.
tingents. There Thompson received
his share Of the vote which In other
days had followed La Toilette. and, be.
side, the bulk Of the socialist and
German vote.
Although. the loyal Americans out
side of Milwaukee, by taking advant'
age of Bergers heavy home vote,
were able to nominate LenPoot, their
victory was not without its scars.
Any attempt to analyze the vote in
the light Of conditions which have
existed in Wisconsin since La Toilette
came into power merely adds to the
conviction that socialism 10 . menace
which decent, loyal Americans must
reckon with seriously This II true
not because socialism makes more Of
an appeal than In former times. Il IL
true because socialism offers haven
for all the un-American voters OF
every community.
The pacifist, the Stacker. the NAL.
content, the mugwump, the traitor
these find their way naturally and
without assistance into the ranks Of
the socialists when they let down the
curtain Of the voting booth and find
themselves closeted with their ballots
and their hatred, spite, fear and
grievances. =
The ne'er-do-well, whose plant Is
always that the world owes him q
living, finds in the sophishies of 80.
ciaism that which he fondly imagines
is an argument to uphold him In his
shiftlessness and uselessness.
Many a wage Garner who finds his
pay check unequal to the demands
which wartime prices make upon II
falls victim, at least temporarily,
to the parroted pleas Of socialistic az.
itators and finds In their cleverly
worded assaults on capital that which
he imagines is the key to future pros
perity but which in reality is the
roadside sign-post on the path to an
archy and ruin.
Socialism welcomes all its recruits
gladly and greedily, caring not at all
how or why they come. It's leaders are
as conscienceless as their creed OF
destruction. disloyalty, and atheism
can make them. They seek power un-
der the laws Of the government with
the aim of overturning that govern.
ment. Their aims are criminal, az
their methods are crooked.
Unyielding loyalty and vigilant pat
riotic service are at once the answer
and the weapon to defeat socialism.
The fight must be made actively and
agressively. Wisconsin and Russia
warn American as to that. Tolera-
ton Is encouragement to the socialist
the bolshevist, the I. w. W., the
anarchist. Loyalty must stamp out al
those allied forms Of disloyalty.