Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1918-03-29
LIBERTY on THE YOKE.

M&M0&&MA&38
newspaper reader the opportunity 60
read Senator Borah's explanation 81
what this country ii lighting Cor, ~
given the other day In the senate. AZ
home and abroad the issues &C the
war have been defined and discussed
from every conceivable angle. But
no one, not even President Wilson
himself with NIL his singuiariy lu-
cfdfty 81 statement, has told with
greater eIearness or In nobier phrase
the story Of why we fight than has
the brilliant and able senator from
Idaho.
Here is o portion of Senator Bcr-l
ah's speech. It is worth cutting ont
OF the paper and passing around
among your neighbors. II IL worth
reading from the platform Of ev-
cry patriotic meeting:
1.-THE German historian, Prof, Mey-l
err, i'm q book written since the begin
ming of the war, in which he sums
M the issues involved, or rather the
issue. because 1t all resolves itself
into one, uses this language: The
truth Of the wh08e matter undoubfs
eddy is that the time has arrived
when two distinct forms Of state or
ganization must face each other in q
life and death struggle
tThis is undoubtedly the under
standing and belief of those who are
responsible for this war. It ID com
ing to be the understanding and belief
of those who have had the war forced
upon them. We have finally put
aside the tragedy of the Bosnian
capitol and the wrongs inflicted upon
the Belgians as the moving caages
of the war. They were but the pro-
logue OF the imperial theme.
I'VE now see and understand clear
~ and Enthusiastically the cause az ell
times lying back Of those things
Upon the one hand Ii Magma
Charta, the Bill of Rights, the Dec
laration of Independence, the Conati-.
tuition OF the United States and the
principles OF human liberty whicn
they emb0dy and preserve.
Upon the other hand ID that Pc
culiar form of state organization
which in the language OF the En-
peT0r rests alone upon the strength
of the army and whose highest creed
finds expression In the words of one
or It's greatest advocates that war IL
q part Of the eternal order institu-
ted by God
I'VE go back to Runnymede where
fearless men wrenehed from the
hands OF power Habeas Corpus and
the trial by jury They point us to
Bresiau and Molwitx, where Fred
erfck the Great, In violation OF HE
pIighted word, inauguFated the rule
Of fraud and force and laid the
foundation for that mighty structure
whose central and dominating prin-
cipie is that OF power IL Is that
power with which we are at war
today
shall men, shall people, be gov
erned by some TemorseIegs and soul
less entity softly called the'state,' or
shall the instFumentaiities OF govern
ment yield alone and at all times to
the wants and necessities, the hopes
and aspirations OF the masses? That
Is now the issue. Nothing should
longer conceal It. 1t tn but another
and more gtupendous phrase of the
old struggle, As ancient and as inevi-
table as the thirst for power and the
love Of liberty. struggle in which
men have fought and sacrificed all
the way from Marathon to VeTdun
who doubts should we fail, that
the whole theory and system OF gov
eminent for which we have labored
and struggled, our whole conception
OF civilization, would be discredited
utterly? Who but believes that,
should we lose. militarism would be
the searching test Of all governments.
and that the world would be an
armed camp harried and tortured and
dominated by endless wars?
Stripped OF all incidental and
confusing things, the problem which
our soldiers viii help to solve f.
whether the theory of government
exemplified In the dynasty of the Ho-
henzollerns or the theory OF govern
ment exempiified In the faith OF Abra-
ham Lincoln shall prevail.
1.-THE policies OF Frederick the
Great, which would make OF alI hui
man souls mere EGGS In vast mill
tary machine. and the policies 81
Washington, which would make gov
eminent the expression and the In
atrument OF popular power. are CON
tending TOR supremacy on the battle
fields Of Europe. Just that single
simple, stupendous issue, beside
which al other Issues In this war are
trivial, must have a settlement 81
clear and eonclusiva rs the settle
ment at Hunnymede or Yorktown"
II this war were TO be lost then
the victories OF the English common
ers over their barons and kings
would have been In vain.
II II were TO be lost then the
French revolution was > failure. the
work OF reactionariea.
II 1t were to be lost the American
revolution was q mistake. the insti.
tutions we have builded upon 1t are
mistakes. and every man who left be-
hind him the monarchies and autoe.
raeies Of the Old World TO enjoy the
freedom OF the New World commit.
ted 8 mistake.
If IL were TO be lost then Chengis