The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-09-28

to the record which will be made by
the sons OF America on the battle
fields of Europe. Their conduct will
be such as to make us all proud of
| them. They are our first line of de-
Tense and every energy at home
ishould he directed towards giving
them our unqualified support.
The Second Line of Defense.
| This war is being conducted along
| scientific lines such as have never
before been known In warfare, Ev-.
| cry man and woman Of America, who
/ Is not in The first line, should enroll
himself or herself, in the second line
Of defense. The duties Of those in
the second line are less arduous and
less hazardous than the duties of
the soldiers at the front. but their
responsibilities are equally as great
and their usefulness can cover a
wide field The rulers OF Germany,
in their thorough preparation for this
great struggle. spread their propa~
Uganda throughout all civilized coun-
| tries and. unfortunately, they spread
lit to a considerable extent In this
country. ] warn YOU against this
propaganda and ask you to oppose
and stamp II out with all the force
at your command no matter from
sents itself Now. do not miEunder-
stand me. No man is entitled to your
suspicion simply because Of his ma
tionality. but no man is entitled to
your confidence who does not believe
in his heart in the aims which in
spire this nation in the conflict in
which we are now engaged.
Much Of this propaganda / be-
Iieye. is spread unconsciously. But
whether consciously or unconscious
Iy, the man who spreads 1t is doing
more harm to his contrys cause than
were he in the German trenches fac
ing the American army with a rifle
in his hands The man who tells you
we are fighting democfacy's battles
in Europe, but have lost our democ-
racy at home, is either entirely
ignorant of the issues involved in
this war or he is at heart disloyal to
his country and its flag.
When you are told il is a rich
mans war / ask you to stop and
listen TO your own conscience, and
the voice OF a hundred American
babies Will come to you from the
shattered hold Of the Lusitania. rise
from the icy depths of Atlantic's
silent waves, and tell you il is lie.
And the voice of thousands Of tor
tured and outraged women and mutt
lated children will come to you across
5000 miles OF land and sea and tell
you that such a statement is the
most outrageous Islander ever utter
ed against the ideals Of nation
lighting to preserve freedom and
democracy for the common people OF
the world.
Let us show to the world a united
America, not one hundred million
people Of various nationalitieB, some
Of them clinging TO the customs and
traditions of the mother country, but
one hundred million plain, ery-day
Americans. Let us show TO the world
a second line Of defense as well or
ganized and efficient as our first line
in Europe. And IL we do this then
when victory has come to our gallant
soldiers and their allies at the front,
and we have destroyed forever this
hellish doctrine that might mean ths
right to rule. and when man shall
have learned that unscrupulous
ambition and sordid greed can only
breed strife and conflict, and when
they shall have learned that peace
can only come when the weakest ana
the Elumblest nation shall have o
voice in determining it's own govern
ment-then this beloved country of
ours will emerge from this contest
greater than ever before, reconsecr-
ated I'm the blood of her heroic sons
who are Offering their lives tonight
on the battiehelds Of Europe for the
preservation OF your liberty and my
liberty, dying that the nation may
live and that the principles Of dem
ocracy may be inherited by future
generations of men. -