The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-10-10


If the people Of the United States of America
should fail to subscribe to the Fourth Liberty Loan
just what would happen? If the pro-Germans and
the Potsdam gang that still have with u.s. should
be able to break down the Loan drive what would be
the result?
If the yellow stripes and the "pink pacifists'
would prevail then what? If the faint hearts and
the folks who would like to forget about the war"
and the hopeful souls who constantly asserting
that the war is almost over and there is no in
buying a lot more bonds" had their way about it,
what would be the situation?
In order to understand just what it would mean
to and our allies, and the Prussian lords and
babykillers and hospital bombers in general, let us
try to figure it out.
The news that the American Fourth Liberty
Loan had utterly failed would be greater allied de-
feat than the capture of Paris the devastation of
London. Though both these capitals should be
smashed the allies could still fight on if their armies
were intact. But the news that the American people
had coldly and cravenly quit the would be like
the bells of doom and the trump of judgment sound
ing in the of the devoted Britons and French
men who have stood to their guns against the full
might of the Huns for more than four long years
And there would be JOY in Potsdam 1t would
that despite the loss of millions of Germans in
battle, despite the privatiOns and the starving and
the agony of four years. despite the apparent certain
defeat of imperial Wilhelm that Germany might still
count upon ruling the world from Berlin. The flags
would fly in Berlin as they have not flown since the
baby-klers and woman-murderers sank the Lusi-
tana. There would be JOY such there has not been
in Junkerdom since Papa" Jofre hurled back
Kuck and Won Moltke from the outskirts of Paris in
the first battle of the Marine, four years ago.
The Prussian could count the war as good as
if he knew that America had refused to send her
dollars to follow her men into battle He could count
the days of the future when with all Europe fash
Toned into another army, and with the greatest navy
that troubled the he could descend upon the
coasts of America and add all the United States to
his domain and place of his sons upon throne in
Washington. All the old dreams of a Germany DOM
mated by 'our old German god and cowed by the
good German sword would come back to the Ger
man people.
The world would begin to prepare itself to learn
the goose STEP and make German its everyday
speech. The staggering Prussian officer would pre-
pare to lord it over the world
There would be despair in Washington, in Lon
don, in Paris, In Rome and in Toxic. The Russian
masses that have begun to throw off the German
fashioned yoke of the Bolshevists Lenne and Trot-
ky, would be abandoned to their fate
1t would mean that the American people
basey deserving the men who have gone overseas
and who are now helping to shove the German back
toward his own borders and carrying the war on
German soil. 1t would amount to serving notice to
all nearly two million overseas on their
way there that we think more of our dollars and of
our ease and comfort than do of their lives.
Sooner or later, after the loan failed, the ham,
mers in the shipyards would be stilled while the
U-boats still sinking the worlds ships. 1t would
not be long till the armys efforts would sacken in
France and at home. 1t would not be many weeks
till the American Navy would find itself unable to
keep to the seas.
The great muniton plants that have sprung up
to supply our armies would find their FORCES and
shops deserted Grass would soon be growing in the
streets of the army camps There would be fear and
indecision and impending ruin everywhere.
For, be it remembered, that so far no fighting
country has as yet known what it would mean to
have loan fail. England has raised twice as many
"Victory Loans" as we have Liberty Loans. FRANCE
has gonesteadiy about the business Of financing the
war and has raised loan after loan Italy, hard hit as
she was last fall has found the money through loans
to carry on the struggle. r.-ss eNsiIo5 re