Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-02-05

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premier was going to the smoIny
institute in an automobile when
several shots were fired at the car.
lenine was not injured.
degenerate in mind and body, bends
the souls of Germany's men to his
dire purposes. The deeds done by his
men in France and Belgium 60 to
prove beyond question how he has
turned them into beasts. Obedient to
his will wives were violated in the
sight Of their helpless husbands,
babies impaled on bayonets or nailed
to barn doors, women repeatedly out
ragged by Ulcers and men alike, and
their bodies horribly mutilated. The
march of German soldiers through a
town was perfect saturnalia of
lust and slaughter. AS one soldier
writes in his diary, we swilled and
raped the entire street along The
officers egged on the men-turned
them loose on the booze and starving
wolves never waged worse slaughter
on harmless sheep. Little children
had their hands hacked off-the help
less wounded were murdered in cold
prisoners Men and women were
herded in the market place and shot
down wholesale. Most of this was
done deliberately and by order-done
as a part of a plan of frightfulness-
done to frighten with its awful horror
people who would not scare but died
rather than yield
WANTS TRUTH KNOWN.
II want our German-Americans to
know the truth. To know that these
things were not British lies, but that
they were actually done. l want them
to know that the public thinkers of
Germany, the writer's Of her books, the
editors of her papers, the preachers
in her pulpits. the teachers in their
schools and colleges. the members Of
her legislative bodies. all of them writ
ing. speaking and working under the
lash of the kaiser and his military
gang, have filled the souls of a great
majority of the German people with
an unholy lust for world conquest and
world power.
ut is because we do not want this
curse to blight America that we must
continue to fight kaiserism with vim
and "a will, with eyes that never sleep
andefeet that never tire, fight out faith
fully to the bitter end this great war
for human liberty and happiness.
"The trouble with our German peo-
pie is that they can't be brought to
believe these awful things They
don't want to believe them, they fight
our German-American subscribers
have stopped their subscriptions to the
English language newspapers simply
because they couldn't endure the hor-
ror and pain that the awful truth in
flicted upon them. But there is no use
in our shutting our eyes to the facts,
sooner or later we shall be forced to |
know and accept the truth, and the
sooner we know it and get our lives
adjusted in harmony with it, the bet |
ter for us all.
PROSPERITY IN AMERICA.
''There ought to be no question as |
to the absolute loyalty of every Ger
to the stars and stripes !
We came from land where we had !,
no chance at all, and because we had |
no chance. to this fair land of promise |
hat insures to every hard working. |
saving. earnest man, real success in
life Most of us have realized we'll !
Upon this very assurance. Many of us
have become wealthy under the op-
portunity which America gave us. 1t
IS true we earned what we have,
earned it by constant hard work
through days filled with long hours !
If unremitting toll, and by means of
saving our pennies and denying our
selves many of the so-called pleasures
If life. Yet in spite Of all of our hard
work and self-denial we never could
lave succeeded unless great, good,
Kind and loving America had given us
he chance to do so.
I'm return for this chance which
she gave us We owe her our last dol
ar and last drop OF life's blood in her
great war against a system of gov
eminent that forbids. instead of CIV
ng. its peoples, privileges and oppor-
unities. Here in America a man has
. chance to work out in freedom the
)est there is in him. In Germany he
las no such chance but must do simp-
y as he is told. In Germany the SOL
lier shoves the civilian off the side
walk into the gutter. In America it
s the civilian that rules, and the SOL
lier is his servant In Germany when
| soldier goes forth to fight he fights
o make things good for a military
Iristocracy In America when he goes
,ut to fight he fights for himself, for
he welfare the comfort and the hap
,iness of himself, his family and his
riends. That's the difference between
America and Germany.
OBJECT FOR ORGANIZATION.
at seems to me that the effort CT
,ur organization should be twofold;
irst, to help our German-Americans
Who are inclined to be disloyal to see
he truth. to know the facts and to
onvince them by reason and persua-
ion of the error OF their ways: and
econd, to make this country simply
90 hot to hold those who stubbornly
tand out against Uncle Sam and will
lot be convinced by the logic of the