Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1918-08-09

$500 1853 49, 'Ah ~ W 10 no"
path of the seas with the wreck.
age of unarmed vessels Germa.
ny-that had sent 70 a watery
grave hundreds Of women and
children; Germany-tha, mad
manned little children, outraged
little girls, bombed hospitals,
driven off into slavery thoGsands
Of helpless n~on-comDatants; Ger
manY-that had from the very
opening Of hostilities made her
self a stencil in the DostrlIs Of all
truly civilized people. This Ger
many more observant of interna-
tional law than the Allies-our
faithful allies Of today!
And the man who made this
Statement and who now assures
rs he has nothing to take back,
is our Senator who is seeking an
endorsement, at the hands Of the
voters Of a great and patriotic
State, Of such astounding utter,
anCes as this.
But not only was this govern
ment not neutral in the eyes of
Senator Vardaman, but when
Germany, after assuring our gov
eminent that there would be no
more attacks by submarines upon
unarmed vessels, suddenly and
without warning declared that a
ruthless submarine policy would
forthwith be in~augurated, and
then preceded to lay down the
law to the American government,
telling this great nation Just what
it might or might not do, the
senator opposed any retaliatory
measures such as arming our mer-
chant vessels for defence against
attacks, Then after American
vessels had been attacked and
sunk, he opposed this nation his
own-defending its honor and its
hitherto unSullied name by de-
,laring a state Of war to exist
against a damnablc government
hat had itself already begun the
war.
But even before this great cri-
lis occurred, when the skies were
oWerlng, when note after note
rad been sent to the German gov
rment and our ultimate partici-
)atlOn IN the war seemed ineVl-
able, the Senator violently op-
DoScd any preparedness program,
'ccIarlng that it was merely a
scheme Of the munition makers
o fattcn their purses" He
ieeks refuge now behind the film
~ excuse that the president him
self at first opposed preparedness.
This is PROFESSIONALLY true, but
Jhere is this difference between
lr. Wilson's position and that of
he Senator from Mississippi; Mr..
Wilson, being by nature a man of
peace, and not wishing to burden
he nation with a great eXpehdi-
luro of money that a prepared
ness program must neceSsitate,
opposed such legislation until the
exact moment when he felt it to
oe absolutely necessary for the
security Of the country. Senator
V%ardaman, however, opposing it
atlirst, continued to opposeit I'M
til the very hour that war was
actually upon us. Then, after
war was declared he opposed the
Selective draft law, declaring that
the %conScript and the convict
have been held by brave and pa
trlotlc men in equal contempt"
He likewise opposed the appro-
prlation for the great aviation
program, and the bill to STAMP
out seditlon in the diSIoyal press,
Then came his famous inter
view in the Tines icayuNe which
has been so often quoted, and il
which appeared his famous stab.
blng Germany in the back" eX.
preston and his patriotic" as.
sertion that this war is purely q
matter Of pecuniary profit
While only only a few weeks age
he spoke of the WhOle p0rH
which of necessity includes hi,
own country being filled witt
blood-lust.
What then would have beer
the condition of this nation todaN
if it had followed the senator.
advice? England and France al
the outset would not have gotter
the help from us that was abso.
lutely vital to their welfare. Ger
many today would have been the
absolute master of Europe and :
large portion of Asia. We SHOULD
have been wholly unprepared t.
meet her inSolent demands upol
this nation, and even after being
forced into the war wholly unpre
pared, we should have been com
nollad tO roptont o~ursol,,os u,;tL ,