The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-11-11
men IN FRANCE
MUST Be HELPED
after WAR ENDS
Italian Soldier Points Out
Needs of Americans in
France-U. S. Must do Re-
construction.

lie Americans are tue ones VINO
must do the reconstruction work in
Germany. Russia and Austria Hun
gary" said Lieutenant Bruno Rosseli,
of the Italian army before a large
crowd at the Coliseum Sunday after
noon. Lieutenant Roselli was brought
here to inaugurate the United War
Work campaign in the county
These boys of yours are between
three and seven thousand miles away
from their friends and relatives" he
said. They are in a strange land
among strange people who speak a
language entirely foreign to them
And yet you would think that under
home in a good condition. The only
thing in the world that they have to
give them a touch Of home are the
agencies which are united in this
great war work campaign. 1t SENS
strange thatI, a member of the Italian
army, should be here to tell you peo-
pie to help your own boys.
1--WE Italians and you Americans.
who went in last, will be the ones
who will have to rebuild these coun-
tries, which are in a demoralized con-
dition. 1t would not be fair to the
Belgians to keep them on guard duty.
They will be the ones who will be
sent home first. 1t would be unfair
to force them to reconstruct their
country.
LAS member of that great inter-
allied army that has been through
the destruction of autocracy and must
see through the reconstruction that
, must follow, say that Italy is worthy
of the United States and you are
worthy of us.
There are 100000 Italian soldiers
dead as result of this war, and l
say that it is an honor of no small
significance to me to appear before
you in the uniform of the Italian Of
| ficer. But | am not representing that
country. l represent the interallied
armies. l feel that there may be
particular spot in your hearts for
Italy. Italy has been one of the sal
vations of the Allies by turning the
tide, She has been the salvation so
far as Hungary is concerned
Italy alone has turned back Austria
and Hungary. We entered the war be-
! cause we thought it was right There
were many times that we were urged
| not to make Investigations or to ques-
| ton the motives of the Teutonic pow
ers. We were finally urged to make
| a separate peace, but always we were
| asked to remain neutral.
| "Ital ydid not heed any of these
peace offerings and with Al Italian di-
visions, one Slovac division and an
| American regiment a stupendous vic
| tory has been completed on the ItaI-
| ian Austrian front.
I'VE have not broken our union with
hofo nd ho
United States the two nations last to
enter the war lies the question of re-
construction. The men of the coun-
tries that must be reconstructed must
not be permitted to bear this work.
They must be the first to return to
their homes and families if they have
any.
Our responsibilities are just be-
ginning. We must have even more
cooperation, and a more perfect uni
on than we have yet had. We have
the responsibility of putting the world
on her feet We must not think that
the war is over when the slaughter
stops.
THE days of reconstruction are go
ing to be harder than those of destruc-
ton. Are you going to be interested
only in destruction and then month
after the armistice is signed expect
your boys to be home? Are we going
| to rebuild by men that are only tit
agencies of destruction? A uniform
is no proof of what a man is. In pre-
war times a soldier was a thing to be
showed aside.
After War Protection.
What kind of boys do you expect
| to come back? They must be pro-
tected in the years of reconstruction.
| They are far more safe when they are
in the trenches and expecting to face
the creator in a few seconds than
when they are policing German city.
I'm the days to come after peace is
declared there will not be such iron
rule as there is now.
"Your boys were put in the trench
es but they did not hold them. They
went over the top. They have shown
of what magnificent material they are
made. We must remember that they
have no home atmosphere except that
which is given them by the Y. nj. c.
A., Red Cross, Salvation Army, Y. w.
C. A, Jewish and Catholic organiza-
tions, and others. All these are work
ing together They must keep up the
morale of those boys of yours.
You must not give in this war work
campaign because you think that per-
haps lot of yellow paint will be put
on your store window. You are giving
to help these boys and in helping
these boys you are helping yourselves
and the next generation to come.
| These boys do not value their lives.
And anyway what is life? In one hun
dred years not a single one OF us will
still have life.
| "You people in America are only in
the ABCs of sacrifice. 1t is only one
lump of sugar when it was probably
twelve or fourteen. You have given