The Springfield herald., 1918-05-24
"Go ON OR 4.
GO UNDER
ey Ross L. Hammond
BY Ross /. Hammond

of fourteen who went TO Europe IN octS3,
@ ber and r returned s aeout t,1e@sars peee Of Con-
kiless iah. French. @f pa ana % seiEfan Goyernmep,ss
representatives Of these Governments Up UP
and down the battle lines and were saom io,n
mond is publisher OF tho Daily and TT.
weekly Tribune Of Fremont. NED, onts nna
filling many public speaking ehsase"e>0
Premier Lloyd George never coined
. truer epigram than that I'VE must
20 on or go under"
How the war is "going on" can Dc
understood. even in part, only oy
those who haye been near to 1t, which
privilege l recently had. That II Is
the most colossal tragedy In human
history is proved by a glance at any
phase of 1t.
Americas part in the struggle Is De-
Ing performed because America can
not avoid 1t. Autocracy is running
amuck and we stand in Its ROAD.
Either 1t stalks triumphant over all
that we have been taught to hola
sacred and dear or we and those with
us slay the dragon from whose red
, Jaws blood is dripping. We and 1t
cannot live in the world together.
have seen England. France and
Belgium battling with the beast. NOW
my own country is sending Its men
Into the fray and the effort and the
sacrifices that are being made abroad
will soon be witnessed herr. We may
not see here the actual fighting. Let
us hope not. But we cannot escape
the other appalling features.
England is vindicating her tradi
tiops and her ideals. She Is not flent-
ing for territorial expansion. This Is
by no means as vital or essential to
her as is proof Of the binding nature
of her compacts. The preservation
of Belgian neutrality drew her into
the struggle. For this her soldiers
are battling and her great navy Is
steamed up ready for the master
stroke; for this her women are work.
ing in field and factory and are pour
ing out their merciful ministrations
In innumerable hospitals.
/ France is making the great sacri-
flee. Paris, which sets the styles for
tie world, is wearing black as syn
u sorrow. and the world is adopt
H. p y sss;sd IL lss;is - ts : from
1sne '.ssa praise WI; se ,ov,asss ras,ars% o,
:, to their ria thewhers. The coming
Of the Amel "A troops has given
them new couIbge. With une1ampled
bravery they are holding the line un-
til the sfength Of America can be
hurled against the foe. The republic
still echoes With the wild acclaim
given to General Pershing and his ex.
pedttionary force. It will be mighty
task for tho United States to measure
Iup to French expectations.
Riding as ] recently d.l Up and
down the whole battle frca: Trance
and Flanders. ! saw. much tho suf.
fering France has heroical. e..dured.
Iier ruined cities and towns. her de-
vastated territory. her dead soldiers.
her outraged women, her tortured
children, all CRY out for vengeance.
Every reported atrocity Of the Ger
man army 70 true, and very much
more. got much evidence from eye
All the waters Of the seven seas can
never wash away the foul stains.
In Belgium, at reception given by
King Albert. asked Ambassador
Brand Whitlock what word could be
taken back to the people of America.
He said: ut is difficult to put 1t in
a word. but this is to be said of the
Germans: they disregard every senti-
| ment OF honor and integrity, every
thing we hold sacred and dear They
have violated with utter impunity
every agreement I have ever made
with them" The conclusion from
this and flood of other like testi-
mony is that Eve must go on or go
under" No compromise or settlement
with the Hohenzollerns will be more
/ than "a scrap of paper" The United
States has one supreme duty at this
hour. That is to furnish the money
and the man power to defeat the ,srch
enemy Of liberty and of the peace of
the world.