The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1918-05-17

Der in the workshops at home, fight
ing and working degotedly, unceas-
ingly and untiringly for the same
cause: The freedom of our land from
Junker domination.
"Let no man say to you slacker!
because you work behind the lathe,
rather than the machine gun. At
every turn Of The pulleys, at every
twist of your tools, say to yourself,
/ am helping out. am doing my
part So long as you are working
to help our armies in the field, so
long has every man in the country
reason to thank you and to take pride
in you.
Il have been addressing labor au-
diences since my first campaign for
public office more than twenty years
ago, but never until now have / seen
laboring men SO deyotedly consecrated
to a single unselfsh purpose to back
up the boys and men wins are fight
ing for US.
"It has been an inspiration. / see
many men among you whose faces
bear the stamp Of German ancestry.
The men seated on either side of me
bear names of undoubtedly German
origin tThe Secretary referred to
Mr.. Schaffer and to Mr.. c. H.
Schlacks, general manager of the cor
poration) Blood does not make the
man. 1t is education and environ
ment and spirit that matter rather
than blood. 1t is not German 1t is
organized Germany, militant in fiend-
ishness, that we are striving to over
come. It is the system which has
made war the hellish institution which
the devil himself might have shud-
dered to create.
Time was when war was chival
rous rather than cruel thing. In
those days you looked your man in
the eyes and yanquished him, or were
vanquished by him, in a fair fight.
In Toledo, Granada and Marseilles
and other places were shops where
they forged the swords and breast
plates and shields with which these
warriors fought Liken yourselves
to those ancient armorers, for you
are forging armor for men as gal
liant as the bravest of the cavaliers.
'This is a most critical stage The
French are fighting stubbornly for
the preservation Of their liberty and
their race, the English are fighting
for their homes; the Welsh are fight
ing for their little mountains and
their thatched cottages; the Irish
most gallant of all races-are fight
ing that Ireland may at last be what
Ireland ought to be- Life means moth
ing to these men if Germany domi-
mates. It means nothing to you or
me.
This is not. the final act of this
war The last act of. the drama is
yet to be played When the curtain
of peace goes down over the hola-
caust of wretchedness and misery,
the boy in khaki will be seen break
ing through the last barricades Of
a defeated Won Hindenburg
At this the crowd rose to its feet
and fairly stormed the air with
cheers. It threatened to prevent Mr..
Lane from saying anything more.
The chairman raised his hand and
the applause of the workmen sub.
sided.
The Secretary continued by citing
the Biblical legend Of David and Co
Hath. He likened the German En-
peror to the mighty Goliath and the
President Of the United States to
David.
"As the army is furnishing the
sling" said Secretary Lane, you're
furnishing the stone with which
Woodrow Wilson will overcome and
rid the world of this brutal giant
Mr.. Lane concluded with fervent
tribute and promise to the work
men.
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