The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-10-03

week, paying their doctcr's bills, paying
the shoe man, the clothing man and the
milk man! [ wouldn't dare to speak
about the milk men. If there are any
milk men here, | congratulate them. We
are going to pay you seventeen cents in
| my city next week. When was boy
you could get whole herd of cows for
that. Oh, we live in wonderful days!
Think of just feeding Belfast and CLOTH
ing it for one week-5,0 600 people-wffat
that would mean! Men and women, your
six billion dollars is going to keep three
millions of men. Think of that! Three
millions of men. The population of
Maine is less than 10000. Think! The
United States has an army equal to the
population of four States the size of
Maine, and she is going to use her money
to keep this great army up to the fighting
point.
Iwould like to talk with you about
Liberty Bonds, but there is no need of it
and am not going to. You will get IA
per cent. for the money you are going to
loan the Government. OF course there
is always one thing to keep in mind, and
that is, when you do not buy Liberty
Bonds you pay taxes, and the Govern
ment pays no interest on taxes. On
bonds she pays IA per cent. How
fortunate man is who has $100, 600 to
invest in these bonds! Let us try and
get out of our minds all charitable ideas.
don't know, Mr.. Chairman, as there is
very great deal of patriotism in it. OF
course there is, in certain great, big,
fine way; and yet. on the other hand, not
so very much at IA per cent. in view of
the fact that, if we do not buy bonds, we
will pay the taxes, and in view of the
further fact that if the Government
should fail in its great task, we would
lose interest in bond questions. and our
interest would all center on the tax side
of things, with German baron in Port
land. That would not be nearly so in
tereSting for u.s. So tonight | have no
desire to take my time or yours to dis
cuss with you the wisdom, or the value,
or the safety, of investing in these Lib
erty bonds as an investment. want to
talk, however, just minute or two on
the necessity of investing in them as
great measure and method of winning
this tremendous contest. AS | 60 over
the State, | am astonished at meeting
every now and then a man who does
not seem to be interested in anything
except in his own business affairs,
in nothing save the development of his
own factory or his own bank or his
own store. | would like to talk to that
man, though not in any harsh way. |
have notion that it is because, for some
reason or other he has not happened to
take the time to look into this matter;
for some reason it has not gripped his
brain or his heart. Maybe he belongs to
that class of men who have not been
e. 70 10 -
the contest, and perhaps no nephews to
enter it; and perhaps there is no girl in
his family whose heart is across the seas.
For these simple, natural reasons perhaps,
as say, this thing has not taken hold Of
him, and maybe we have been harsh
with him. Somehow toni ght l wish |
could hold that mans hand in mine and
tell him one or two little stories. would
messed the other day as l was riding
along. stepped off the train to speak to
a friend, and there was woman on the
platform waving her hand at the train.
l noticed the lady, and I realized that l
knew her, and | said, 81 wonder what
Mrs. So and So is down to the train for?"
"Oh," my friend said, cher boy is going
to the war today" She stood there and
waved her hand and laughed up into the
face of the boy, and then she returned to
her home. She has gone back to her
home that is empty tonight. Her hus-
band is dead, and this was her only child.
She has gone back to long days and
longer nights. She has gone back to
weep Many an hour will she put in
weeping because of the impossiblity
to prevent it. You, sir, have vision
of that little woman down here in
the Maine town whose heart will soon be
in France! Somehow, just try and think
of her and your own heart will grow
warm; you will begin to get interested,
and you will Join the great army here
and abroad in doing your part in this
great contest. Occasionally | meet
man who seems to be hermetically sealed
against any appeal, and don't know but
perhaps Belfast has one or two of them;
| shouldn't wonder if you had quite
lot down here in Belfast. Maybe few
of you have drifted in here tonight. One
hates to say anything in any way sharp
to an audience, because there is always
the feeling that everybody who is inter-
ested enough to be present must be all
right; but somehow | meet these men,
and they are all the same, men and wom-
en-just selfish; just mean. You feel,
somehow, every time you get subscrip-
ton of five dollars out of them, like
apologizing, as though you had done
them a great harm. Now let me say to
all of you people who are working IN
these Liberty drives,-- not feel badly
when you 60 to these people and get five
dollars; but 60 right back and get another
five. tell you that if you can get them
to give long enough, it will get over hurt
ing them, and will afford them the great
est pleasure Why there is nothing in
this world like giving money, and giving
other things. 1t is the only real source
of pleasure in the world. When you IN
vite your friends in to dinner you get
more pleasure out of it than they do. Ot
course you pay all the bills, and you
have had all the fuss and all that sort OF
thing; but it is such luxury to give the
dinner, and such a luxury to watch them
enjoy it! 1t is not the person who re-
ceives, it is the one who gives. Ii you
have got any of these people here in Bel
fast, keep right after them. At you don't,
they will 60 to hell. (Applause). The
only way lot of you people can possibly
come to salvation is by giving money;
there is nothing else that will get you in.
In the old days we used to speak Of 1T as
fire insurance; but think there are lot
of YOU people who won't see the pearly
gates until you put your hands in your
pockets and bring them out full. There
are more men and women going to perdl-
ton because of their absolute meanness,