The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-06-07
Well ArrangedExercisesW We're
Held In That Village
ADDRESS BY ia. FL|TTIE
Opera House Was Handsomely
Decorated; the Parade
Nice Feature
Especial to Free Press.1
From Fridays Daily.

From Fridays Daily.
Vernon Center, May 31.-Vernon
Center stepped over the top yester-
day with a beautiful and highly ap-
propriate observance of Memorial
day. More than 500 people gathered
in the opera house where the pro-
gram was carried out. Rev. B. F..
Koch, pastor of the Methodist Epis-
copal church, presided. and several
song selections were nicely rendered
by the choir of the Methodist church.
Prayer was offered by Rev. Koch.
Attorney Jean A. Flittie of Mankato
delivered splendid address, speak
ing as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen: We have as
sembled on this occasion in memory of
the dead of that vast host of men who
fifty years ago fought to preserve the
Union. We have also met here today to
do honor to the slender few of that host
who are still with us. 1t is certainly
very fitting and proper that we should
do this; for these were no summer SOL
diers and sunshine patriots, but real
heroes who deserve the love and thanks
of man and woman. Did they not night
to make men free? And did they not
succeed?
Now liberty is again at stake So 1
to the present. What is the situation?
After preparing for forty years, Ger
many is now engaged in subduing the
world or wrecking it. Therefore we must
prepare and fight for another forty
years, if need be, to defeat her.
America has gone through two serl-
GUS crises already and is now going
through third. In the first it won free
dom for the colonies; in the second it
gave freedom to the slaves; and in the
third and present crisis it is fighting for
the freedom of the world. Failing here,
we shall lose all that we have gained
in the past.
We are now engaged in great war,
testing whether what our fathers fought
and bled for is worth fighting for and
dying for now. Shall liberty be permitted
to- grow and fructify or shall the world
be turned over to the men of blood and
iron who are now directing the German
empire in it's ambitious designs for world
dominion? Shall the state be everything
and the individual nothing, or shall the
individual be permitted to enjoy the full
est amount of freedom consistent with
the general welfare of the state? That
is the question. In other words, shall
this most wicked war result in triumph
for criminality and wrong? 1t is up to
us-to you and to me-to say whether
it shall or shall not 1 said most wicked
advisedly.
Like the mistress of the inn I am not
subject to fainting fits; but when 1
heard of the sinking of the Lusitan1a
with it's precious cargo of human life
my heart sank. I stood aghaSt wonder
ing what helish thing the minions of the
kaiser would next do. Awful as that
deed was 1 have heard many men justify
it; but 1 am glad to say that l have as
yet heard no one declare himself willing
to forsake the Stars and Stripes and go
to Germany to live. Therefore 1t must
be that the United States and our gov
eminent are better than Germany and
it's government. If anything can be said
IN
the situation we are in and bring home
to us the multiplied villainies of the Ger
man government, it was well 1t were
said boldly. Our enemies are not our
friends. The sheep are not safe when
the wolf is abroad. Frankly, I do not
like the looks of that imperial eXponent
of force and murder known as William
II. He is not gentle. The elements are
so mixed in him that nature might stand
up and say to all the world: The devil
has abdicated.
Pardon me for not liking the kaiser.
Nero, fiddling while Rome was burning
is a classic tale of ancient cruelty out
done in our day by Wilhelm Won Hohen-
zollern prating of his divine right to rule
while his savage Huns are ravaging Bel
GUM, making Europe charnel-house Tor
slaughter and crimsoning the very waters
of the sea with the blood of the victims
of the lawleSS U-boats.
? Sixteen days after war was declared,
/ said in public address,:
1--WE are now at war. Wherefore we
must be one in speech, one in sentiment
and one in loyalty to the flag. Our
liberties are imperiled.
Fifty years ago we fought the herceSt
civil war to destroy black slavery. What
is now ailing torn and bleeding Euorpe
is a supreme effort on it's part to rid it
self of white slavery. The millions OF
men now lying in the trenches and fight
ing the battles of the war lords know
only one thing: To obey. Not being free
agents, they are just so many helpless
cogs in the ruthless war machine of the
central powers.
"When that machine shall go crashing
to pieces there shall emerge out of the
smoke of battle and the suffering nobler
and grander Europe of free men and free
women, unfettered by the shackles of an
imperial militarism as senseless as it is
degrading and brutal. To aid in bring
ing this about is now our compelling duty
rendered easier, / am bound to say by
the unspeakable excuses of the for who
either drunk with power or smelling de-
feat, has gone stark mad. Surely God
moves in a mysterious way His wonders
to perform.
"Have we been overhasty in this mo-
mentous crisis? No, no. On the con-
trary, we have been patient and long suf-
fering to the verge OF d1shonor. our
grievances are not small and few; they
are many and great. Our rights as a
neutral nation have been trampled I'M
der foot; we have been denied the free
use of the ocean highways of the world;
soil by accredited representatives of pre-
tended friendly powers; and scores of our
people. including women and children,
have been murdered in wanton illegal
warfare. And in spite of our protests
these outrages continue and are to con-
tinue.
therefore our only resort was an APP
peal to arms or forfeiture of our ma
tional self-respect. And now that we are
in the struggle as champion of democ-
racy against autocracy, we must win
This question had better be settled now
and settled once and for all as we set
tied the slavery question fifty years ago.
Our choice of sides was clear. Our faith
ers made it for US and sealed with their
blood. And we shall not fail or falter
1t is the age-long contest over again be-
tween rule of right and rule of might.
Is life so dear, is ease so sweet and peace
so priceless as to make us craven cow
ards? God forbid. To lose means chains
and slavery to ourselves and our chill
dren. Therefore we must not lose and
shall not lose. We have the men, we have
the grit and we have the means to win
Besides. have we not truth and justice
on our side?
$50 be assured that when the conflict
is over the Stars and Stripes will be found
waving over ramparts and house-tops.
symbolic of peace on earth and good will
to all men and all nations. We hate no
one. We love even those who would do
us harm. They know not what they do.
We want peace, not war; but if we can't
respected, then war and war to the hilt
with all our power and resources. Let
the responsibility rest with the agrees
scr and not with us who are striking in
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