Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1918-04-29
AMERICA ROASTING,
SAYS DIR. WILBUR

1
man Wilbur, president of Stanford
University, made stirring appeal to
the American people to get into ac
tion in the war. He called for
speeding up of his own country tc
meet the conditions, which he de
clared were the most critical in the
history of civilization The report
Of the address as taken from the
Yreka News, is as follows;
within three years the kaiser can
train an army of 95,000,O00 from the
conquered Russian territory and
sweep the world before him. Starved
out! We have fattened in our greed
while Russia was starved into sub
mission. The morale of an army de-
pends on food; when people starve
governments fall.
"All that stands between us and a
German victory within year Is the
British and French army. Six months
from today we're either going to be-
long to a great democracy fighting
the worlds battel, or we will be the
most despised government on earth.
Unless we can put Serbia back on its
feet Germany will have won its con-
troll of middle Europe.
This is the most critical period of
the worlds history; civilization may
be turned back 500 years, yet we are
not able to comprehend the true con-
dition. Peace today would be a Ger
man peace, the crime of the ages.
We've boasted too much; it's
bluff, bluff, bluff. We're money low
ers and money brubbers. We fooled
the French and English, who have
fought our battles, by telling of the
millions of men and the aeroplanes
we would send them, while we went
about our ordinary business, needless
of what we should do. Our only ans
wer has been a few splendid men now
with the French, less than the num-
ber lost by Russia in a single cam
paign. Think of it; Russia had s.
100000 and twice that number
wounded before she was starved out
and fell into Germanys hands.
Fight! We're like the prizefight-
er waiting for his opponent to die of
heart failure; we've hoped the kaiser
would fall through starvation and re-
bellion-it is cowardly. If we don't
do better in the next year, Germany
will win and our government goes
out.
I'VE fell down as a people, and our
manufacturers with their unfulfilled
promises fell down. The country has
been humiliated before the world in
our rapacity.
1--WE have been dealing in money
when the precious blood of men and
boys is the worlds medium of ex-
change. We have been profiting
from the blood shed by the brave Ital
ians in holding their front, and from
the French and the English. If you
come out OF this war with a dollar
more than you went into Tiny
God! you ought to be ashamed of
yourself
Wheat is the powder that will
win the war; it is necessary for the
morale of the fighting man, for the
world--the food of soldiers and
babies not for us.
Lord Rhondda said, "This is the
end, when Herbert c. Hoover in
formed him that our wheat supply
was gone and not bushel could be
sent for relief unless American would
deny itself. Victor Hugo's grandson
had to report mutiny among his
troops when the French army heard
that American people were feasting
and they were starving.
America has got to get into the
war before 1t is too late. We swal-
lowed the stories made in Berlin for
cur benefit and expected German
strikes to end it. We have got to stop
sending explanations and send men,
money and food. The life of this
nation is hanging on the slender
thread of ships crossing the Atlantic;
we don't know today if we can get
our forces over in time.
This is your war; our country is
threatened; gather together and
tight We've got to force victory
from grim determination if it takes
80 years.
"All the surplus wheat in the
country has been consumed and the
only shipments that can be made to
Europe before the September crop
will have to come from the savings
of the people,"