Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1918-01-17
LOYALTY LEAGUE ORGANIZED IN
THIS CITY SATURDAY NIGHT
Meeting Held House Saturday Evening Resulted In Or
ganizaton-OAicers Eecte d. Speakers Appointed
Object To Bring Home Facts About the War

A meeting was held in the court
house Saturday evening for the pur-
pose of organizing a Loyalty League.
Committees previously appointed were
present from every lodge in the city
and they proceeded to perfect per-
manent organization. U. l. .Burdick
was elected president and 7. c.
Hutchinson secretary.
The object of the league is to bring
home to the people more forcefully
facts about the great war and why
the United States is fighting and
what we are fighting for. The league
has already selected a number Of our
citizens who will constitute speak
ing force or committee and it will be
the duty of any one of these members
when called upon-to attend any
gathering being held in this district
and talk to the citizens on the war
question. Whenever meeting is to
be held the people responsible for the
gathering are asked to notify the
president or secretary of the league
and a speaker will attend.
To give you better idea of the or
ganization we publish the following
statement or call for the organization
sent out by the X. P. Committee ap-
pointed for that purpose:
THE CALL
In organizing this, the first Loy-
atty League, in this territory, the
committee has deemed it necessary to
state briefly the considerations that
have moved it to this course.
We live here on the Great Western
Plains Of America so far removed
from all ports and hostile enemy that
even this great World Conflict has not
disturbed our domestic tranquility.
In one sense this speaks of the great
ness of this country yet in another
respect it speaks of general apathy
on the part Of a great number Of our
citizens towards this war. They do
not know and do not understand the
significance of our present course.
They do not realize that this great
democracy is in danger an dthey do
not know why we are going across the
seas to fight in other lands in self de-
fense.
The greatest war of all times
ancient--midieval or modern is now
sweeping the countries of the old
world. The battle SCARED land of
Belgium, France, Servia and Italy;
the poverty, starvation and death Of
peaceful people; the pitiful cries Of
little children coming up from the
dark waves of the Atlantic where the
German U boat has run it's maddened
course; the walls of mothers in Eng
land for their children ruthlessly
slaughtered by the German zepelin;
the ashen faces of the thousands mu-
tilatel, raped, and enslaved rising
from the dust pointing an accusing
finger at the heartless, brutal, and
barbarous practices of the German
Army, ll,-all bring to us across the
Atlantic an appeal to arms, an ap-
peal to aid and assist and to do and
to die for the principles of humanity.
At the most we can only hear the
rumblings of the mighty struggle; the
far off cry for help, the feeble call of
the widow and orphan and we have
for long time-to them ages-fail-
ed to rise in our majesty and fly to
the relief of the stricken and the op-
pressed. But now we hear the call
more clearly than before-it has be-
come distinct and we understand its
meaning; the mists from the BATTLE
fields seems to lift and we can dimly
see yet more plainly as the hours pass
something Of the sacrifices that our
brothers in arms are making for the
principles of democracy. "
The great unselfish democracy has
heard the call and thousands of ou>'
brave boys have crossed the seas, mill
lions more are training to 60, to un-
sheath the sword of humanity in the
defence of Gods people fighting
against the military power of Ger
many. In this we not only recognize
the peril of other democracies, but
knowing as we now all do the dream
of the German Autocracy for world
power and dominion, we have come to
know that we are fighting in self de-
fence when we join our brothers
across the sea in crushing for all time
the war maddened military govern
ment of Germany. Canwe delay?
Can we put it off-can we remain on
our own shores and allow the drunken
power of Feudalism in Germany to
devour every vestage of democracy
in Europe, and then, and then, maybe
too late, try to arrest its power al
ready flushed with victory, from COM
ing upon us with the speed Of the
wind, guided, directed, forced by the
same. ambitions that have marked it's
course since the war began. No, No,
we will strike now, now when we can
bring the beast to its knees while the
wounds inflicted by the English. the
French and the Italians are fresh and
unhcaled.