The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1918-04-05
Loyalty Meeting

Wy0Ily mcctIny
Local Speakers Give Some Ringing
Talks q Patriotic Duties.
After the first picture show Mon
day night the Milbank Loyalty
League held = meeting at the opera
house. Hon. C. S. Amsden, the
president Of the league, in calling
the meeting to order, referred to the
necessity for keeping alive the sen.
timent Of q broad patriotism, and
called attention to the splendid
manner in which the people Of
South Dakota have answered the
various calls that have been made
upon them for men and money by
the government, and the spirit of
patriotism that has inspired them
in all they have done.
The chairman announced that the
executive committee had recon-
mended an election of officers at
this meeting. and the following
were nominated and elected unani-
mously:
President-C. S. Amsden
Vice Pres.-O. j. Coons
Sec. & Treas. w. J. Martens
Rev. A. f. Beddoes, presented
| ( HI following ''lOy0) citizen 8
pledge" which was adopted as the
pledge of the league, and the secre-
tary was authorized to have cards
printed with this pledge to be sign
ed by members:
''On the anniversary of Ameri-
| cas- entrance in the great war |
affirm my undivided Loyalty to
| the cause for which we fight: the
cause of justice and human liber-
ty.
gladly lay upon the altar of
the nations need my material pos
sessions. my bodily strength and
my mental powers, to serve and to
save America and those ideals for
which II stands, and to keep the
Stars and Stripes on high with
honor, | pledge my hand. my
heart and my life"
Mr.. Beddoes also introduced q res
olution which was adopted instruc-
ting the chairman to apoint a COM
mittee to look after the comfort of
any Of the young men of the county
who may hereafter be summoned
to the army, and to see that all
courtesies possible be shown them
when they are in Milbank on their
way to the cantonmeuts.
The president was also author
lied to appoint a permanent execu-
tive committee.
Rev. FIR. j. j. O'Neil, pastor of
the St. Lawrence church was the
first speaker, and after explaining
what he called the double alle-
glance which Catholics owe-to
the church and to the state, he said
that since America came into the
conflict he could not see how any
American could for a moment
hesitate to be absolutely loyal to
this great free country. One Of the
peculiar features Of the pro-Ger-
man propaganda was that there
were pro-Germans who had never
seen Germany. or who had come
from that land when they were
very young and knew little or moth
ing of the militarism and spirit
Of caste with which the people Of
Germany are afflicted. He stated
that there need be no fear that the
Catholic people would not be loyal
to the United States, as has been
evidenced by the large number of
Catholic men already in the army.
Prof. H. c. Souder gave q fine
talk along the line Of how wrong
thinking produces wrong actions,
and making an historical review he
showed that all down through the
generations there has been conflict
between the two ideas Of govern
ment-the one that the few shall
govern the many, and the other that
the many shall, govern themselves.
He cited the continual stream Of
history down which this battle had
heen fought in England. France
and America, with ever increasing
liberty for the people, but in Ger
many the stream had been damned
by autocracy, and the people had
been compelled to submit to the
rule that might makes right
rule which the German autocracy
is attempting to inflict upon the
world to-day. The leaders of the
autocracy in Germany for fifty years
past have been sedulously teach
ing and inculcating this doctrine
among the people Of the nation,
and the fruit Of this teaching is be-
fore the world to-day in the awful
| - rron,o nn tho foldc ~ Eb,rnv,o