The border vidette., 1918-07-06


 
 To the House of Representa- tives, the Senate and the Presi dent of the United States:
 Your Memorialist, the Third State Legislature, in Special War Session, of Arizona, re spectfully set forth
 It is now known that this world can no longer remain half Autocratic and have Democratic. Every child of freedom the world around is conscious of that fact, most certainly are they, within the folds of the Stars and Stripes Yet knowing it, we have not fully met the issue involved.
 Autocracy sneeringly holds it. self to have the advantage be- cause it is able by the Single word of the Autocrat to wield the body. mind and soul of it's subjects into one great irresis- tible force. While a Democracy endeavoring to crystalize itself through a President and Con gress subserviant to the will of a nation of independent minds will fail utterly in the final test. If this be SO, then the struggle of humanity through the ages is lost. If Autocracy wins on the fields of France there will be no human conscience left to dispute it's kultur.
 Can this be averted? Arizona believes it can if these United States will, through efforts that move with order, determination and precision, organize all it's resources, material. spiritual and psychological, and throw them all quickly into the conflict.
 In your deliberations on a new revenue bill it will be we'll to re- member that the Government has conscribed all it's fighting forces, but it has not yet taken full measure of it's supporting forces The one way to accom- plish the latter is for everyone, men and women, for the dura- tion of the. war, to give to his country his entire time, :. effort and earnings, consistent with a healthy existence.
 Therefore the Legislature of Arizona suggests that you call for all citizens to volunteer in the service of their country in the positions they now occupy, or in others, as the country might wish, and after a reasCn- able period to draft all slackers and misfits; that co incident with SpOnSe by the people you give that response expression, assur- ance and confidence in tax that will take all the net earnings of the people over and above what is needed to support the indus tries and a normal and healthy existence.
 It is true that such a thing has never been done before, but De- mocracy has never been chal- lenged before as it is at this hour. We believe the lives of our young men, on the threshold of responsibility, are as valuable to the nation as few short years of conSecrated effort on the part of the rest of us who will soon pass out. Certainly a few years given to our country in the security maintained by our magnificent youth cannot be compared with the sacrifices, heroism and patriotism they of fer their country.
 This is country, not of blood or of an idea, but it is an ideal, and as such it must live on ideals. The nobler the ideal that supports it, the more potent it becomes both within and with, out it's confines. Complete ser vice to our country is indeed one hundred per cent Americanism and nothing short of it is. Such a service would burn all the sordid in our makeup, as peo- pie, to a white ash. It would dissolve all the problems of class. It would exalt us to an efficiency not yet recorded in history. It would reveal to us the true meaning of Democracy not because we thought it but because we lived it. It would clarify our vision so that we could point the way to a lasting peace.
 Such a service would inspire our armies as no armies were ever inspired before. It would make each soldier conscious thai his country had not forgotten him but was behind him in all