The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1918-10-18

others make or mar our happiness.
The world would not be so rich and
life would not be so full of hope and
promise if this true soldier spirit of
devotion were destroyed. But let US
hope and pray that this war will so
change the ideals and policies of the
various nations that the soldier will
no longer be compelled to follow the
standards of the Caesars, the Napo-
Icons and the Wilhelms who would
crush the hearts, hopes, lives and pros
perity of their fellow beings in order
to satisfy their own ambition for
power and glory.
This war is the result of militarism.
Militarism is the blighting evil that
has oppressed the people of the vari-
Gus nations and stifled their aspira-
tions for better things. Why was it
that the Allied army began to drive
the Germans back as soon as the
American boys got into the fight? Was
1T because the American boys brought
to the army superior physical strength
or military equipment? No. 1t was
because they brought to the Allied
army the spirit of American democ-
racy-the democracy that has never
been blighted by the curse of mill
tarisnl.
Instead of imposing the course of
militarism upon this nation, say
that this war, with all its sacrifice
or blood and gold, will have been an
absolute failure unless it lifts the
burden of militarism from the backs
of the people of all the nations in
volved in this war
The power of a military despot may
bring about war; the power of a
financial despot may bring about a
panic; both are the fruits of human
greed, and both leave poverty and suf-
fering in their trails.
AS long as it lies within the power
of one man or a few men, to bring
about either of these two evils the
world will not be safe for democracy
To bring about full realization of the
hopes and the aims of the common
people we must have democracy in
our industrial system as we'll as in
our political system.
The profiteer is no better than the
Kaiser. To take advantage of the
needs of cold and hungry people, to
satisfy ones greed for gold, is as de-
spicable and as inhuman as it is to
sacrifice human beings to satisfy
ones greed for military power and
glory
can say for the laboring people
of this nation that they will continue
to give the very best there is in them
whether it be upon the field of battle
in the workshops or on the farm, un-
til this bloody contest is decided in
our favor.
The laboring people are in this wal
]. heart and soul because they love dem.
ocracy and are willing to fight anc
lsacriice that it might triumph. They
have always looked upon democracy
as the pathway to better things
| What they want is more democracy
not less. And this can be said for the
laboring people, that wherever they
have been able to make their votes
and their influence effective they have
lgiven to the government a heart as
well as head.
No nation ever went into wal
with a higher, nobler or more unset
fish purpose than that which actuatet
this nation, and no nation ever trieC
harder to keep out of war. 1t was
our desire to preserve the Drawn anC
brain of America manhood to win th'
bloodless victories of peace and com
merce, and to have your boys and m.
boys grow up in this land of oppor
tunity without the burden of grea
war Indebtedness to bend their back
and blight their lives.
But when the war lord of Europ
} said that he would continue to disre
. gard the laws of humanity in orde
, to be the victor in a war for worl
supremacy, the leader of this natio
declared that the laws of humanit
must be observed, and that it wa
more important to respect the right
] and the lives of the citizens of neutrs