The Brinkley argus., 1918-08-09
Why We Fight beosose Germany Asssass ths Freedom oi the World ed Russaa
 Geo @ Loater Resiss
By CLARENCE l.. SPEED Secretary of the War Committee Of the Union League Club of Chicago

By CLARENCE L. SPEED Secretary of the War Committee Of the
 Union League Club of Chicago.
 We are In this war with Germany because 1t Is war for freedom more truly than ever before was a war fought for the liberty of man. In times past, +t is true, men have~feU9Hf for freedom from oppressors. Sometimes they have won and sometimes they have lost. But always there has been a place in this big world where those who had lost in the struggle at home might 70 and find . country where they might enjoy the liberty they loved.
 Now an Is different If the forces which are fighting for freedom in this war are defeated, there will be no place in the whole world to which they may 60 to And . refuge from Prus- sian domination. Every land under the sun win be directly or indirectly under control of the victor: and if the victor ia autocracy, freedom per ishes.
 The land where freedom is most i'm minently menaced by the lesions of Prussian autocracy, at this moment, is the land where unwonted freedom temporarily has run riot and has lost the power to fight for itself-Russia. We are fighting for the freedom Of Russia, and must continue to fight for it until Russia learns what freedom means, and is again able to light. If we do not, freedom will die in Russia 1; Prussian autocracy will rule and ex- ploit the country for its own benefit; |; and the very forces which overthrow the czar will be turned against the freedom not only of themselves, but of other lands.
 In years gone by, when the forces of revolution were showing themselves here and there in Russia, they had the sympathy of America in spite Of the methods of terrorism of which we did not approve. When the czar and the kaiser, leaders of autocracy, were locked in a death grapple, Russia still had our sympathy, because she was fighting on the side of those who were seeking to safeguard the world from Prussian militarism.
 When the czar was deposed over night American feelings were mixed. There was joy at the downfall of an old and sometimes cruel autocracy, but there was fear that Russia would become too disorganiZed to fight fur ther. coupled with the thought that pen hans the revolution had come too soon to be effective.
 Then followed the brief regime ot Kerensky, when it began to look as though freedom in Russia might be an r 7-orga4rized freedom, prepared to fight | for it's rights, and all America hailed the Russian revolution as q blessing It had become absolutely correct tc say that the war was a war of democ racy against aut0cracy. No pro-Ger man could longer point to the czar whenever an argument arose.
 Finally came the boisheviki revolu ton. in which Kerensky was over thrown. Russian industry and Rus sian society were disorganized, an( Russian armies ceased to fight. Int lzaiser's armies pressed on unopposed took what they desired in spite CT signed peace, and Russia appeared tt he about to pass completely under con trol of Germany. America stooC aghast at the prank freedom na' played. and American opinion turnet largely against Russia, but thinking men refused to give up hope. Rus sia was and still is incapable of of1eY ing resistance. but Russia is not re signed to autocracy. It devolves upol others to fight for the freedom Rus sin must have.
 The experience of other nations ha been that men who loved freedom were willing to fight for it, and to di for 1t if necessary. The Russian at citude of nonresiStance was something new in the world, and is hard to m eerstand. The bolsheviki represent ed the extreme idea of liberty. T them freedom meant not the right O the majority to choose their form q GNNefAlHelil. NAl biiF tt%ltA 't tttt. titN'i viduM t0 he free from al forms Q eoverumeutal restraint They weul' tear down the old order completely at one stroke. and set up the mii lanlum. They would divide the land inc factories and the tools among thi workers, and have no masters hence forth.
 Even in Russia, however, there were diesenters. Some took up arms; an6 the bolsheviki who fopeht the Ger mans not at aH. fought their brothers most feroclously. The result was an archy, 1awlessness. massacre, the dis organization of the railways and thS failure of the food supply. The mil lenium refused to come at the mere decree of the bolsheviki. It was shown that there must be arganization and government of some Sort
 Russia will not longer fight side hy side with her former allies. So in- siduous has been the German propa- ganda that, in many instances. Russian