The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-12

Here is where they have come from mansion and humble cottage. and they have started to war on an equal footing. It is possible that many of them have written right here their supreme sac rifice. and that we may never see them again. But we are learning things-we know that war means sacrifice We have come to understand that, and those who stay at home and do not make the sac rifice are not worthy of the liberty that those boys over there are fighting for The time comes when we have got 10 choose between friend and our coun- try-friendships and the President-and if there is a man here who won't make that sacrifice for the boys over there, then he is not worthy of the freedom and liberty that they are today paying for with their lives.
 T was recently at the Terminal Sta- ton when selectman left with a large number of draftees for camp. where ne will train for overseas duty. There stood his young wife with a young baby Tn ner arms. The time had arrived for nim 70 get aboard, and he took that pape Tn ms arms, pressed it to his bosom, embraced his wife and then, with smile on his face, walked across the track to his train, climbed aboard and smiled at the two, neither of whom he knew that ne would ever see again. Tell me that man sac- rifice is not greater than any friendship or personal obligation. Why, couiu hardly stand to see that, ana to .hinh of a man refusing to stand by the Pres- ident when he needs the support Of ev- cry loyal and patriotic American, It IS more than I can comprehend.
 The man who will not stand py our President is not worthy of the sacrifices that our boys are making over tnere' as is being brought home to us today when the casualty list contains the name of one of our most beloved citizens
 WANTED TO CUT LOOSE c. P. Beddow, was next intro duced. and in a humorous manner he stated that he was sorry that politics was taboo at the meeting, for he felt like he wanted to cut loose, at which point there were numerous shouts or '.go to it. from the audience. .I am reminded in the beginning of the Indian who was asked what he thought of the war. He replied that he didn't like it much. When asked why, he stated there was too much salutins and not enough shooting. He was then asked why he was fighting and he stat ed that he was fighting for MT. Wilson who was trying to make the whole dam world democratic. That is about the size of our Presidents job-he is trying 10 take the United States flag and liberty to nations who never have known what liberty is He has been long-sunerlns President. vet he has believed in the emblems on our coins, which is an Amer ican eagle with bag of arrows Tn one claw and a sprig of olive branch in the other. He has held out the olive branch while he was being criticized for doing so and when Germany declared her sub marine warfare he then took out the arrows He called upon this great, patri- otic American people and he did not call in vain.
 "In IA months 1,50o,0o0 of the best sol diers that ever took gun in their hands travelled 5000 miles across the seas, risK- ing every known danger and they were laIehted ae by the Kaiser and his men. wonder what they think of them now! Out of 800 casualties only one man was taken prisoner.
 HEARD BELGIUM'S CRY America heard the cry of poor Bel gum and France and remembered what LaFayette had done for her, and re- sponded. Pershings speech at the tomb of Lafayette is the greatest speech ever made by a great general. and 1t was this: "I.aFayette, We are here. and he menat that we are here until every misearble Hun is driven from the soil of France Not only are they the mo- blest soldiers on earth, but the women who have gone over there are just as noble, for they have followed the words of the Savior in the inscriptions on their canteens I came not to be ministered uT.to but to minister unto.
 This is time for everyone to be pa- triotic. You cannot afford to let friend ships or other ties come between you and your patriotism. There are certain fellows who may have been maligned or misrepresented, according to his viewpoint, but whenever there is any doubt, will stick with my country. believe in the patriotism of my adopted city, for when they are asked to go a mile, they go two.
 Abraham Lincoln was great man, if he was a republican, and when he was heckled and annoyed by all men at a time when the nation was in crsls, he reminded the committee which called upon him of the story of Blonden, Who was walking Niagara Falls on a wire He asked them what they would do If Blonden had all of their earthly posses sions under his arm-would they yell at him to do this and to do that. or would they sit quietly and wait until ne got across, without interfering with his progress? This is a time for patriotism to uphold our President
 NO DISTINCTIONS
 s'Who is Wilson for? The American peopie Has he made any distinction be- tween the rich or the poor? has he ar rayed one class against the other-the poor against the rich or the rich against the poor? He has not He has been the poor mans friend from the very begin- ming. I would think that the laboring man would get tired of so many friends just before election who have never done anything for him. The greatest friend the laboring man ever had is Wilson, yet some people talk about telling him what to do.
 Do you think that we ought to up hold him now, or slap him in the face? You have the opportunity to do one or the other We cannot afford to do any thing but/support our President There lis not a man In this audience who does not know what to do under these cir ccmstances, and all ask is that you obey that inward self which tells you what you ought to do. I will leave it to you
 Frank Willis Barnett was the next speaker. and he spoke briefly and to the