Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-03-28

that the advance OF truth across, tho
world has been, and always shall be
marked by little circles of blackened
earth where yesterday the martyr
stood.
Forces have been let loose which
Nagara-like cannot be long controlled
or kept In check by man or super
Out of its awful horrors spirit OF
democracy has arisen, phoenix like, to
take possession of the hearts and souls
and very lives Of men. Its tide cannot
be stemmed or stopped the seemingly
impossible will be made possible; we shall
realize the fruiton of our fondest hopes.
achieve the accomplishment of the great
est end for which any war was ever
wager and shall establish for all time
n federation of the democracies Of the
world.
Tho catastrophe of defeat Is awful to
contemplate, but to win this war wo
shall have to make public and personal
sacrifices which cannot now be measured
by any standard heretofore established.
We shall win, but at such a trcmcn-
dous sacrifice Of men and money art.
everything we hold dear. so staggering as
to almost paralyze even our imagination
~ 1t iS truc that all the skill AMI
resources o. France. Great Britain ard
the United States, cannot break ths
German power. then the sooner VIC know
IL the better. 1t means that dctnoc~
racy has failed in the presence Of autoc.
racy. that might is stronger than right.
| that liberty and justice can continue in
| the world only on sufferance granted
| by tyranny. If 1t is true, we ought to
know 1t Immediately, to abandon our
futile dreams and settle down to the
nasty but inevitable business Of living
| as serfs.
| But the American people will never
accept such a conclusion and they will
never sanction a negotiated peace on the
assumption that 1t is true. Possibly tho
war may not be won in 1918. but IL not
| then 1t may be won in 1919, and even IL
| not then 1920 will see the achievement.
| We have at least 20,000,0 900 men of fight
| ing age available for the front lines,
and by 1919 or 1920 we can have them SO
adequately equipped and munitioned that
they will ultimately crush the German
front like an egg-shell. That is. we have
everything necessary for finally defeat
ing autocracy, and we would rather take.
two, three or four years of unparalleled
effort In doing 1t than to bring our SOL
diers home and leave the brutal Kaiser
to stride across Europe and Asia chant
in his hymn of hate and blasphemously
appropriating the Almighty while he and
his kin wallow in blood and lust We
are going to win this war in fair fight
or brand ourselves towards and default
ers for all time"
Through all history. from it's very be-
ginning, a noble army of martyrs has
fought fiercely and fallen bravely for their
country. Through all history to the end.
that army must still march and fight and
fall recruited from the flower of man
kind. cheered only by their own hope Of
humanity, strong only in their conf
dence in their cause.
Perhaps there have been vacillation
|, and confusion, misdirection and FOSSIL
zation, on some of our departments; per-
haps we may fail to keep our schedule
in shipbuilding or machine guns or high
} explosives or aircraft; perhaps the
stupidity of our two and half years
of false security and unpreparedness may
exact an awful toll in flesh and blood
perhaps all of these things and more.
But France was not ready when hell
broke over her, and England paid for her
prejudice against modern high explosives
, to the extent Of a quarter of a million
precious lives. We cannot finch and
. falter as a nation because some of our
bureaucrats blundered. We dare not be-
!
, cause some of our officials tumbled ovel
. their Office furniture.
washington had blunders and blunder.
y ers enough to contend with. God knows
, but he did not negotiate peace unit
CORVALLIS proffered the hilt Of his SWORD
. at Yorktown; Lincoln had deficiencies
and inefficiencies enough, God knows
, but he set his face like a flint against q
, negotiated peace until Lee stood in un.
conditional surrender at Appotomax
:, That was the breed of the men who CAV,
. America its proud place among the ma
lions and predestinated it to be tn,
savior Of democracy, and it will be hare
:, to persuade Americans that the strair
has faded out of the race. 1t was onl,
after the maximum of elaboration tina
= America entered the war, and with tn,
maximum of determination America will
=. stay in the war. We will correct our mis-
takes. repair our blunders, speed UP GU
4 machinery, redouble our energy, multipl,
a our sacrifices, and we will stay with GU
gallant allies. encouraging them and re
inforcing them, until we crush VIVA
y. President Wilson has called The Ger
= man power, thing without conscience
: or honor or capacity for covenate
;. peace.
q With the French We say: "They shall
not pass"
;. For ourselves we say: I'VE will Wi
y the war"
: LISTERS PROBLEMS.
= Mr.. Plumley then took up some of tn
problems with which the listers have t
n contend. and called attention to the fac
o that he had prepared and caused to b
d printed. as authorized by law, a bullet
y containing the general tax laws Of tn
g. State. which he said every lister Shout
n read from beginning to end.
D. To-day, at St. Albans Mr.. Plumle
o will conclude his tour of the counties c
g the State for the purpose of instructin
y the listers.
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