The evening leader., 1918-08-23
YOU WON'T CARE.
By Ellis Parker Butler, American De-
fence society.

If the Germans win the war and
come TO America to punish US, you
won't care. You may care little at
first. It may make your blooi boil
/ to see. some shaved-head hog harder
in the Kaisers uniform strike your
wife across the face with the flat of
his hand, or to hear the shrieks of
your daughter as one Of the ka;ser's
| grining undcr-officers drag her away,
but yo uwon't care long. I'll tell you
why
You'll be dead.
There was q cabed paragraph in
the newspaper a day or two ago that
i reported the Russians as feeling bet
ter inclined toward the Allies. The
reason was that the German troops
were poison -gassing the civil popula-
tions Of the captured towns. It is an
easy way to get rid of civil popula-
tion, and now, that the Germans have
hit upon it, they will probably use it
in all places where they wish to make
room for German kultur.
| Poison -gassing the civilian popula-
tion is easier and quicker than shoot
ing it, as was done in Belgium. It is
easier and quicker than "deporting"
it, as was done with the Americans,
although the Gernan-bossed Turks
found that satisfactory way to lead
whole cities to death. The Germans
are especially apt to stick to poison
gassing civilians because it is their
own happy thought and the highest
exemp.ifcation of their own efficient
kultur
In America, where there are great
; sections given up to agriculture, it
will probably be necessary for the
j Germans to bayonet and shoot many
who now are living on the farms, al
though they may be able to form
county concentration camps and gas
all who are gathered in those camps.
IN the cities the wark would be easier.
On a given day and at a given hour,
the German troops would put on their
gas-masks and thus protected release
great quantities Of poison gas. The
civil population would Immediately
die. Germany would have free hand
for colonization, and America would
be thoroughly German from then on
There would be no one here to inter
fere with the German plans. "New
Germany" would be all German YOU
! would not care-you would be dead
] If you think Germany is not capable
of doing this very thing it is because
you have not thought about Germany
lately. That cable message says Ger
many is doing it in Eastern Russia
To Germany we are more trouble
some and less civilized than Eastern
Russia, We are too numerous to de-
port. The easiest way would be to
gas US in the bulk.
No decent nation does such thing,
but Germany is not in the decent ma
! tion class. Think a minute.
Germany is a murderer. She threw
civilized ways away and began sink
ing men, women and children in the
bulk long ago. Germany is pirate,
and is using submarine contrary to
all agreements and pacts. Germany
invented poison gas and used it, when
its use in battle was as forbidden, and
uncivilized as its use to kill civilian
population We have a great country
over here .and population that
would be endlessly troublesome to
Germany if she tried to rule us. If
Germany comes to the United States
she will wish to kill us off as if we
We're rats. Germany wants to make
the world safe for Germany.
l don't know how you feel about it,
but | don't want to be gassed. I don't
want any poison-gassing nation left
on the face of the earth. / am not
strong in my friendship for murderers
and pirates, don't see today, any
thing good in Germany, or anything
decent or anything deserving respect.
| can't think of anything so hideous
or disgusting that she would not do it
if she thought it would profit her.
She is not fighting as a civilized nation
fights; she is outIawed and -disgraced.
She must be whipped, beaten into the
slim she has created, her rulers pun
ished for their filthy crimes and then,
if the world of decent men sees fit,
her population may be put on good
behavior for fifty years. At the end
of that time, If civilization has taken