The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1918-04-12
Loyalty Celebration
At Bentley Gra1d 1heaiel!, Saturday
Aiternooa Last. An b1slness
IN City Stopped Tor One
oQr-3 10 I,


The 9th Of April. the first anni-
versary Of Americas entry into the
war was observed last Saturday by
the flying of flags and the placing
of q service banner over main
street. As the weather was not
suited to outdoor gatherings the
exercises were conducted in the
opera house. Senator C. S. Ans
den, chairman of the Loyalty
League, presided. He stated the
object of the meeting and intro.
duced DR.. A. E. Buriff as speaker
Of the occasion. The adde's was
. presentation Of the issues Of the
war and why we as q nation are in
it until full and complete vic tory
has been attained. DR.. Buriff's ad-
dress is as follows:
This is called the anniversary Of
our declaration Of war upon Ger
many, but in strict sense this is
incorrect. We did not declare war
upon Germany; we recognized the
existence Of q state Of war with the
imperial government. Germany
had been guilty Of hostile acts
against the United States for more
than two years and practically had
declared war upon US in her procla-
nation Of unrestricted submarine
warfare on January 81, 1917. But
whatever the history of our en-
trance. we are in and Germany
knows now we are in. and will in
creasingly realize that we are in.
This is called the great war,
and rightly so. 1t is great in the
magnitude of the armies and arma-
nents; in the extent Of the battle
fronts; in the appalling toll ofdeath;
in the immensity of destruction and
the tremendous costs. In the first
three years of the war the central
allies had spent over $50. 900. 900, 600
and the entente allies nearly twice
as much. But great as its physical
aspects, it is greater in the issues
at stake. No light cause could inn
pei America to enter the conflict.
We are q peaceful people, though
not SO peat eful as Germany mis-
takingly supposed us. God knows
that we did not want to fight; only
long drawn, repeated and intolera-
BILE insults and injuries sufficed to
force us into the conflict. But
Germany was mistaken in suppos-
ing that no insult was too flagrant,
no injury too burning to inflict
upon US. This mistake was on a
par with h r others. Herr Zim-
mermann said to Ambassador Ger
ard. america will not dare tn
oppose US. There 500, 900 German
reservists in the United States. /"
To which Gera-d answered, Eyes,
and there are 5OO,OO1 telegraph
poles there too. >" But up to date
we ave not had to use q single
pole. To the eternal credit Of the
manhood Of these American fell
low citizens Of German descent we
may say after a year Of war, after
the passing of the first consterna.
tion at finding themselves aligned
against their own kindred ard
friends: after the opening of the
minds Of the slower conflict, no citi-
zens have been surer or sturdier
than the great mass Of these. Their
purses have been open for Liberty
Loans, Red Cross and Y. M. C. A.
What is of more moment, out Of
their homes have gone their stall
wart son into the front ranks OF
the defenders Of the flag. AZ /
speak it 10 sun down in France.
and as the bugles sound and the
colors come futterin9 down from
the STATS in camp and cantonment
sergeant Karl Or Otto receives the
flag into reverent arms. while
Emil and Ludwig stand Ct salute
shoulder to shoulder with Henry
and Nike and Bill and Tom. A
few bod ones may b among them,
but disloyalty u not matter Of
race. William Haywood II not :
German, nor any Of his followers.
The Kaiser and his advisors
thought that We were mere money
rrubbers, flabby from prosperity;
not % much oo-proud 70 fight : y
sstoo fat too fight. :" They thought
that We would not be willing to
give up our gains from the sale Of
munitions to the allies. to be willing
60 bear the burdens Of increased
TAXATION and the unsettlement Of
business. But in the past year We
have put into operation the excess
profts tax, the graduated income
tax, and II addition have limited the
profits q Tie firms doing business
with the goyGEneunent. Tho joes