The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-05-06
LOCK THEM UP
By Burgess johnson of The vigilantes

Shortly after we declared war there
appeared in New York paper a cartoon
by Cesare depicting Uncle Sam rising
from his chair, with look of mingled
annoyance and determination on his face
and reaching for an old musket and pow
der horn, as he says, And had so many
other things to dol" 1t was true-alI
over the country there were people who
felt certain Impotence with the OBJ,
| truding duty of war that upset so many
plans and seemed to retard so much of
| individual progress and effort.
| But there is occasionally some great
/ task that only nation can accomplish,
nation of enlightened, honest inten-
toned individuals ell working together.
| When the demand for such national ac-
ton comes individuals have to lay aside
some individual things. They cannot be
allowed to work at cross purposes until
the nations duty is accomplished. While
this great national crusade is in process,
there is justification for many measures
that restrict individual liberty. and there
rests upon each citizen the moral obliga-
tion to avoid petty criticism and any
other sort of behavior that retards ma
tional action.
For it is astonishing how much re-
tarding can be done by single individ-
ual. He does not have to count for
much; neither does one grain of sand
count for much when it is thrown into
the works. Every kicker, every small
minded critic, every weaver of false ru-
mors, whether he is German paid or
whether he is egged on only by bad di-
gestion, is Just so much sand in the
works. We have a perfect right to make
him keep still until after the war. He
may yell Freedom of Speech all he
likes. We need not mind that. Ii is the
things that he whispers which we object
to, and we have right to stop his whis-
pering or put him where the whispers
cannot be heard.
Has he not right to talk of peace
A right? | do not believe that he has
any rights or that | have any rights TO
do anything that conflicts with the eff
fective carrying out of our national pur-
pose There are some ways of talking
about peace which can do no harm, and
may do good. But there are other WAYS,
and these are the ways of the hired
propagandist. which any sane and pa
triotic citizen can recognize as harmful
as so much sand in the works.
We are all in this war, and certain !
Jobs have been assigned to certain groups |
of us. BY a method considered expedient |
and Just. some have been selected To |
fight in Europe. In many WAYS they /
may be considered fortunate and en- /
viable But their selection for that job 1
does not mean that everyone else is out |
Of the fighting. The young men and the /
Young women in Europe are at the bust |
ness end Of the machine The motor /
power. the driving force, Is all generated /
AZ this end. and We are all somehow in
VOWED pulling levers or feeding in the
fuel or collecting it. or keeping the books,
or what not
When YOU look a. the whole national
crusade in this light, YOU begin to feel
less lenient toward the man who sits on
the fence and watches. while - for the
rumor monger. the anti-draft agitator.
and the peace propaganda who are
throwing sand into the machinery. vour
feelings demand some translation into
action Lock him up for the duration IL
he var