Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1918-06-28

out MS designs; not Sporadically
; as my happen in an army
where men sea red in the surge
Of conflict, but of deliberate pur.
pose and by cool direction oi
their officers.
Murder, pillage, rape N which
the poor Belgian wife and moth
er has been forcibly ravlshed il1
turn by {. whole bunch If fiends
with smile of self satisfaction.
That, gentlemen, is the "Kultur'
that proposes to "cure" the
world. The savage Indian was
an angle in white compared to
them.
At last it became manifest to
Americans that a beast was a
broad, crushing the bones and
swallowing the blood of all in
his wake, with a weather-eye on
our own fair land, the United
States,
Murder on land was followed
by murder on the sea. American
lives went down in the waters,
as Belgian lives went out in their
hitherto quiet homes, villages,
and on the plain. Then it was
that th5 United States, after
Germany had, under cover Of
friendly International correspon-
'dence filled every part of our
land with spies, was aroused to
her danger. With Belgium de-
vastated, Britain grimly hanging
on, France bleeding at every
pole, Italy vainly looking on at
the invasion of her fair homes,
America said, 1--WE can be nutral
no longer" and we are in to fight
to a finish.
Why are We in it? Il is that
malevolence and overweening
pride may have a fall That the
doctrine of the super-man may
forever be squelchcd, that mill
tarism may be shown to be not
only a curse but a failure; that
contract breaking, lying, cruelty
and brute force cannot and shall
not have the right of way. Un-
til that time arrives we must and
we will fight.
No one sees more clearly than
the G. A. R. that if the German
conquers, then nothing is worth
while. AS men of military ex-
perience we expect reverses and
disappointments. We look for
loss of hard earned ground, spy
ing everywhere, with all sorts |
of attempts to defeat our efforts. |
Thousands of American lads of
high promise will be laid under |
he sod making the supreme sac
rifice. A hundred thousand more
will be manned for life, while
tens of thousands of American
will be broken hearted. |
Slckened in soul by German
hypocrisy, foul blasphsmies,
wanton destruction of sacred |
places, constituencies diplomacy |
unspeakable brutalities, out
ragged womanhood and starving
children widespread wherever !
the Hun has gone, the G. A. R., !
peace loving as We are, and hat
ing war as We do, dedicate our
selves, our lives, our fortunes,
our sons and our daughters to |
the divine cause our nation has .
until the honor and .
safety Of peace loving nations
are again established and the |
future happiness of the whole !
world guaranteed. Nor do We, .
bell te the Conscientious OBJ |
jector," SO called. has any right /
to- exemption from military duty .
or that he should be allowed to .
in this country to enjoy
thsi fruits Of battles won by the
lives Of oilers.
Proud indeed, we are Of the
place Oregon has won in the
marshalled hosts,
with every man, woman and
child doing and willing to do
their utmost.
pne way tfore us will be long
and hard. Ever and anon the
heart will be sick from hope de-
ferred, but we shall fight on! and
on! =! and still on! Thank
God we have the men, the sub !
stance and this spirit for the
that shall not end till
the whole world shall be freed 4,
from the power Of the Hun.
Germany must, and will learn
that people of our race are not
to be bullied; that Hun brutality
has no terrors for Americans. (
The boon of civil liberty will
not not be surrendered after ony
nor of one hundred defeats. As |
len who have smelled the smoke !
of battle we propoce to fight it |
out on this line IL IL takes not |