The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1918-05-16
Secretary McAdoo's Great
Speech For Liberty Loan


would that be any, advantage 70 az!
We don't send our ships out under the
american flag merely to joy-ride on the
high seas. We send them out for bust
ness and to protect always the might
and majesty OF America. (Applause)
The kaisers Generosity"
don't want to be unfair to the Kaiser.
ana / want to tell you that insolent or
DER OF his was coupled with piece OF
courtesy for which l must give him
credit ! want to be strictly fair There
was memorandum attached to this or
DER. and do you know what 1t said! II
SAID, Il will permit America to send one
ship week to Great Britain, and one
snip week from Great Britain to Amer
lea. provided you paint this great mer-
chant marine OF two ships. which am
gong to permit you to have, in stripes
or red and white. In other WORDS. want
Ing barber pole on the ocean, And he
said: You must sail those ships on =
course prescribed by me. will mark
out the course on the high seas where
that course. However, If you do they
can't go at all; or IL you do. will
sink Them Then he said: You must
not start them from any port unless you
telegraph or cable me I'm advance when
they are going to start" And then he
said: Also telegraph me at the same
time what cargo they are carrying.
That marked generosity and scheme on
the part of the German kaiser almost
overwhelms me as | utter it.
Fellow citizens, that is literally what
tion to do. on the slst OF January. 1917.
WHAT was the answer to It! Even
then, in spite of all the transgresslons
Of our, right, the violations of fnterna-
tonal law. the brutal murder OF our de-
fenseless men, women and children. on
the high seas, we only undertook to put
through a measure for armed neutrality,
in order to enable our seamen. men,
w nd al
upon the ships in order that, II they
were attacked by the dastardly assassin
of the seas, they could defend themselves.
But you know what happened to that.
were so lacking in the knowledge and
spirit OF American people that they fill
bustered that resolution to death in the
United States and Congress without the
authority to even put gun on an Amer.
lean vessel to protect your rights on the
nigh seas (Applause).
The kaiser's Big Surprise.
What. followed? The 4th OF March.
when that Congress adjourned and left
the president in that position, he called
a special session of the Congress of the
United States-the new Congress-for
what purpose? To give the German Kali
ser an answer he would not mistake. We
gave it to him on the 9Th day Or April.
1917, and it was the surprise of the KaT
ser's life. tAppiause).
He had come to believe that we were
money loving people that we were a
ma terial people, we had neither the love
of independence nor liberty in our hearts.
He had been told that there were wide
streaks OF yellow blood in the Ameri-
can population. He had been told that
the German American element in this
country was so strong that we wouldn't
declare war upon Germany nor resist any
aggression upon our rights. We told him
something in an inspiring paragraph. en-
hnf1 iod in oI,ytf Of in
which we declared war, and which we
pledged all the resources OF America unto
Liberty until (applause)--until Liberty
again was won, and until this menace. to
the independence and the rights of free
peoples OF the world was absolutely ex-
tinguished from the earth. And we are
not going to stop, my friends. untii it ia
done. (ApplauSe).
Those tragic events which are happen
ing upon the battle line in France today.
noble, glorious France, tapplause) 1 can't
think of France without emotion--the
spirit of that glorious republic, that In
domitable people who, in the hour Of our
extreme need came and helped US to
plant liberty and Independence upon the
soil OF this great nation. (Applause). l
was impatient myself for the opportunity
Of making common cause with her In or
der that We might repay. the debt OF
gratitude that America has owed that
great nation for more than a hundred
years. In spite OF what is happening
| on that battle line; in spite OF the fact
| il has been bent. it has not broken. and
by the help of Americas arms. by the
| help Of valiant America represented by
our boys In khaki and our blue jackets
upon the high seas. that line shall never
| break. (Applause)
Situation Is Serious.
! Let me tell you, my friends, you must
! rot mistake the seriousness. however. OF
| the situation. I do not believe that the
people of this country. in the interior Of
l. ~. l.
| visualize or realize the meaning of this
war. I do not think you realize here
| that your life and liberty are actually
imperilled. want to tell you with all
| the Solemnity and emphasis l can put
into it, don't think that because you
sleep in comfortable beds with plenty to
eat and plenty to wear. with police to
protect you at night and the officers OF
your liberties are not imperiled. / tell
you you never were In position OF
greater peril since this great republic
was begun.
Our Duty to Sacrifice.
We have organized 100000 grand
American boys into an army which /
know will be invincible when 1t gets on
| that front. tApplause,. BUT ! don't
want you people to imagine, ladies and
gentlemen, that when. under the opera
tons of this great democratic selective
draft law and the operations Of that
Splc0Q1Q Impulse III pdlTlOllSIu WHICH IdS
always made the American man in those
times when his country was in peril vol
unteer: don't imagine when we reach out
by the impartial and democratic selective
draft in every state, county, city. village
| or hamlet In the American union and
| touch this man and that man, your sons
| and nv sons. and say, I'VE choose you
and we choose you.' to go out and die.
| If need be. that Americas liberty may
be saved. We choose you because you
| have the spirit OF freedom In you; we
know your loyalty: We know your cour-
age: we know you will fight to the death
| (applause): we choose you because you
| are the most fit to make this great sacri-
| flee for American ideals and for world
| democracy Don't think that after you
| have done that. and you are compliment
| ing them with bands playing inspiring
music to the stations, and have sent them
away with fear and good wishes, and
YOUR hearts are drawn with anguish for
few days, perhaps constantly. but time
| tcmpers all things. don't think. ladies
and gentlemen. that. when you have done
| that that your part in this war Is over.
and YOU have nothing else to do. All!
| Your part Is just beginning, because Ism
q more sacred duty, more sacred task.
resting upon us who stay at nome, TO go
/ the limit Of sacrifice In order tnat our
noble sons shall not die? (Applause.
our first duty II to do everything We
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