Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1918-04-04

snail De value received by the govern
ment,
LOYALTY demands that there
shall be efficiency and economy in
every department of the government.
LOYALTY demands that taxation
of excess profits and supertaxes upon
the larger incomes to the greatest linn
it practicable should be exhausted
before resorting to increased taxes
upon the masses of the people.
LOYALTY demands that the gov
eminent fix the price Of every prod
uct controlled either directly or in
directly by any monopoly.
LOYALTY demands that the
standards established for the protec-
ton of labor, especially that of wom-
to the end that the health and
strength of the nation shall be pre-
served
LOYALTY demands whole-hearted
support of our brave boys at the
front and the stamping out of all Sc
ditiOus speech and propaganda. The
right of free speech does not carry
with it the right to give aid and com
fort to the enemy
81 will not be turned aside upon any
other isue.
"In so far as | can direct it this
campaign shall be one of education.
If there is a single honest citizen of
Wisconsin who has been deceived by
what others have told him or what
he has read in the pro-German press,
| want to reach him with the facts,
if | can, and make him a loyal pa
triot. If there is any man who doubts
that we are engaged in a righteous
war, l want to remove any doubt |
do not expect to convince any disloy
al American that he is wrong. Any
man with disloyalty in his heart does
not belong with us. He must look
elsewhere for sympathy and his vote
will be cast for some other candi-
date more satisfactory to him. 1t is
not such that | care to spend any
time upon.
1.-THE invasion of Belgium shocked
US. The announcement that the Bel
gian treaty was nothing but a scrap
of paper and the admission that in
ternational law was being violated
troubled US but we did not believe
that our rights would be deliberately
violated But as time went on we
became more and more alarmed Fl
nally the Lusitania was sunk and
over one hundred American lives
were lost, many of them women and
children. The civilized world was
shocked beyond measure A note of
protest was Immediately dispatched
to Germany and she finally promised
that passenger ships should not be
sunk and due warning given to all
other vessels, when no resistance or
escape was attempted, and care TAX
en- that their crews should have a
fair chance for their lives in open
boats.
while we recoiled with horror
from the tales of rape, arson, slavery
and murder in Belgium, we still be-
lieved that prudence if nothing else
upon the part of Germany would
prevent her from giving such offense
to Us as would compel us 20 enter
the conflict. But we were mistaken.
On Jan. 31st last our government was
Informed that on the very next day
Germany would renew her ruthless
submarine warfare, and that no ship,
it's passengers or crew, would be safe
from destruction if found within the
zone prescribed by her This when
carried into action as it afterwards
was became a declaration of war
against the United States. 1t has been
attempted by few men to excuse the
sinking of the Lusitania upon the
ground that flying the British flag she
constituted British territory. If that
Abe true, an American ship flying
an American flag constituted Amer
lean territory and any attack upon
it was an act of wal. upon Amer
lean territory. But this order was
not aimed at the United States alone,
it was aimed against the world. The
German government raised the black
flag against the world, put itself in the
same place as pirates who had been
driven from the seas over a hundred
years.
president Wilson properly and
promptly dissolved diplomatic rela-
lions with Germany and asked for
authority to arm merchant ships for
defense.
THAT authority as you know was
denied thru a filibuster in the Senate.
During the month of March the Ger
man government carried out It's
threat and many American vessels
were sunk and many American lives
were lost This was coldblooded muir
der by Germany. The result was the
war message of President Wilson to
Congress, and the Declaration of q
State of War by Congress.
Prior to the Declaration of War, l
believed that our part in the war
could be confined to the sea and that
our quarrel with Germany was con-
fined to her violation of our rights
upon the sea. But that was not the
extent Of Germany's offending
I'm January last, the German For
eign Office sent to the German min
lister in Mexico, the following note
made public last summer:
ION the first of February we intend
to begin submarine warfare unre-
stricted. In spite of this, it is our in
tention 10 sndeaor to keep neutral the
United States of America. II this
attempt is not successful, we propose
an alliance on the following basis with
Mexico: That we shall make war to-
gether and together make peace We
shall give general financial support,
and 1t is understood that Mexico is to
reconquer the lost territory in New
Mexico, Texas and Arizona The de-
tails are left to you for settlement.
You are instructed to inform the Pres
1dent of Mexico of the above in the
greatest confidence, as soon as it is
certain there will be an outbreak of
war with the United States, and sug-
gest that the President of Mexico. on
his own initiative should communicate
with Japan suggesting adherence at
once to this plan; at the same time