The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-08-13
In The Open Forum
A Column Devoted To The Task OF Keep
ing Up With North Dakota Editors

Editor Davies Of The Grand Forks Herald
wants even the German royal family to get
square deal. Says he:
Filings are often made at the kaiser and
his six sons because while they exist at the
head OF great military establishment, not
one Of them has yet figured in the casualty
lists, and there seems to be no likelihood Of
any Of them doing So It will be just well
If we do not permit our dislike Of German
methods to lead US into a form of criticism
Of German men for which there is no war
rant;
man royal family, and they are numerous
enough, there is no evidence that lack Of per
sonal courage is among them, Indeed 1t Is
said Of the Crown Prince, that, with the cyni
cal calculation which is reported to charac-
terize him. he has on more than one occasion
placed himself in positions of considerable
personal peril merely in order to win the
plaudits Of his soldiers and the populace gem
orally. We must remember that under the
German system the emperor is the com
nander Of the armies, and all his sons are,
by virtue Of their birth, destined for high
military commands. And the basic idea IN
the German theory Of government is that the
life Of the emperor, and next to that the life
Of his heir, is the most precious thing in the
state, something to be guarded with scrupu-
lous care, and not to be rashly risked on the
field Of battle. Personal courage has nothing
to do with the case.
The American situation on the western front is
described by The Pembina Pioneer Express:
Have you noted in all the news dispatches
from the front in France since the Germans
began their retreat three weeks ago that the
American "annexes" have invariably been at
the front, right on the heels of the retreating
enemy. For the possession Of one town the
Prussian Guards were sent in four times and
fought all day, but when night came the
"Sammies" held the town. The news that
the Americans have arrived across Is now
being made certain to the German army in
very pointed rnanner-with bayonets-alld
also that the U-boats are not stopping them.
The w1lliston Herald offers proof Of the du-
plicity Of Germany in the following article
IF the world would have absolute proof Of
the deep duplicity Of the German nation it
can be found in the statement from high
German authority, that that nation, instead
of numbering $4,000 900 people, as given out
at the opening Of the war, in reality num-
bered 10000, 900. There can be no doubt that
for years past, Germany's census returns
have been deliberately falsified. There could
have been but object in this--deceiVng
the world to her true strength. The AL
lied world KNOWS now, however, that it is
fighting a monster of gigantic proportions
and Is making its preparations accordingly"
plea for convict labor on public thorough
fares is credited to The Wiston Herald:
THE state county-even the nation
that confines its criminals within prison
walls and does not use them for useful en-
ployment Is overlooking an opportunity that
approaches almost criminal practice Con-
Wet labor. rightly applied, would in the next
generation give the United States the great
est system of public highways the world has
ever known. If all Convicts were put to work
on the roads they could eXpiate their offenses
and be of real service to their country
at the same time.