The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-06-20
JUDGE WADE ON "AMERICA FIRST

are fighting our own battle. Arc, LEI
thank God in this hour that We col
have TO fight it alone,
You know that ! came ont 10 the
state OF Iowa from my old home ID
Vermont when was a boy. and TIE
rrairies were practically unsettled
And one Of the pictures that always
VIII remain in my mind Is the ls-IiD.e
-grairse Eres that used 70 sweep Gown
from The northwest from MInneS Ga.
Dakota and northwest Iowa aiter Ins
frost killed the grass in the fslL- Ana
remember how the IRE guards
psowed, and how the flames Soaia
sometimes leap the are guards anu
threaten the homes of the setlisIS-
and I remember how re rseo 10 20
out and fight the FIRE. We c.dnt hsnt
il on the homestead. We Wenl avg.
out. two or three miles from where
the house and the fields and the cros's
were. and tried to turn il from the
homestead by burning large space
which would leave nothing 10 feeo lhe
flames which came down with so
much power, eating up everything nu-
man. and material, in their way. We
used 70 set those fires: We called "
.hack-fring." That's what the boys IN
France tonight are doing. Tney Re
.sback-hring." They're setting PACK
aires" TO try TO keep away rom tneir
aoa1es back here the terrible hoioeaak.
that is sweeping over the world
tell you this Is OUR WAR
What is necessary 10 win this var
To win this war We must have men
money and spirit That's all. Men
and money and spirit OF the three,
The spirit is the thing Oh, We must
have the spirit. And those who are
working for the kaiser in this country
are wise enough to know that II they
can break the spirit Of the people, or
break the spirit of single fatnef'
mother, or boy of military age, they
have helped that much. And, there
fore. we find the man who goes out ana
saws "Oh this is a war of capital.
-It,s a rich mans war" "Why should
the people nay for this war? Let the
rich men. whose war it is, pay Tor II
.eW-hy should the boys OF American
fathers and mothers fight the battles
Of the rich?" You can't send heIn "
over to France to fight the war or
greed" That is fayorite method Oh
trying TO break the spirit. don't you
know. had man before me last
Saturday, a farmer, not a German
nor even of German extraction, whose
fathers had been on American SOIL LOT
four generations. He had been spread
ing that SORT OF poison among ms
neighbors. tThe speaker looks at ms
watch.) Over forty minutes ago ne
went to bed down in LeaVenWortn,
Kan. Now, there are men VINO won |
admit in public conversation that they
have any such notions, yet, who have,
back in their minds, a feeling that
this is a rich mans war, or else a
feeling as expressed by one man.
why do the common people have to
bear all the burdens of this war;
They don't.
/ notice here in Minnesota that You
report a corn production of 69,146,4O
bushels. Sixty-nine million bushels
How much would that corn be worth
in times OF peace? Possibly 30. 10 or
so cents. How much is it worth now?
/ don't know what it's worth up here,
but | know down in my county corn
sold some time ago for dollar sixty
FIVE at the crib. We will say that II
has advanced only so cents a bushei.
because of the war, and If the crop
produced in Minnesota advanced %
cents a bushel, the advance would be
oue-hslf to sixty-nine million bushels
in round numbers, or s34.500,o 900. Turn
to your wheat report and we find 1t
reported as being production OF
about 64,341 500 bushels, and at an ad-
vance on that wheat. over prices in
times of peace, of 81 a bushel you
have 100000 plus added to the
wealth of the farmers OF this state
Oh we don't want these profits.
Would to God they never came to us;
but the war has brought them to us,
and I will guarantee there has been
added to the farm products of Mime
sofa more than 5000, 600 900 in 1917!
And yet. we sometimes think it's a
terrible problem when we are asked
to raise, 6, z or s10.000.000
Let me tell you something. Those
boys are not going to starve over
there. and they're not going to be sent
into the line of battle without guns
and munitions. and the Red Cross
isn't going to be limited in It's require
ments for the care of the wounded
una uyluE, ana tut OiHtI OiSchlZd-
lions of this war are not going to be
hampered in this war for lack of funds.
Uncle Sam is going to have the mon
ey! A government that wouldn't raise
the money for those boys over there,
wouldn't be worth saving. It's going
to borrow the money If it can; IL 1t
cant. it will levy direct tax on every
dollars worth of property in the
United States, and when you pay it
you will never get It back. But that
won't be necessary If we only get the
proper spirit aroused.
Oh; have you the vision? If you
haven't it must be brought into your
soul, because 1t is the vision of this
nation. and that it has done for us
individually, which makes our faith
and loyalty strong. Say! Did you
ever examine your conscience with
reference to your relations TO your
country? You know / have gone
through this northwest country for
years and years. used to come up
on the Burlington. the Rock Island
tho hyva al