The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-02-08
PRACTICAL PATRIOTISM

Elihu Root, in a recent address, appealed
to the people of the United States to give
the government their patriotic support IN
buying war savings stamps. Mr.. Root said
that the matter of insufficient supplies for
the army was serious one.
1--WE have not enough of food and cloth
ing and raw materials for arms, ammun1
ton and transportation, if we are to sue
ceed,'' he said. "There is but one way that
we can accomplish that, and that is by be
ing more careful and saving in the con
sumption of the things that the armies
need. There is no other way. We are the
most extravagant people on earth An
average American family wastes enough,
day by day, to support another family in
comfort"
Unless this country can save out of its
superluity and give the benefit of that saw
ing to the armies of this country and its
allies, we will lose the war, according to
Mr. Root And in losing the war, we will
lose our liberties also.
All over the country men of authority,
men who are close to the government, men
who know, are sounding their note of warn
ing to the people, who refuse to heed, re-
fuse to be impressed, refuse to believe that
the crisis is so grave
We have given our youth, we have sent
overseas the best that we have,-the 1ner
Of our country-so it is not because ar"
not willing to sacrifice,-it is because it is
so difficult for those who have been left be-
hind, where life is continuing in its peace
full round of daily duties, to realize that this
is not war of the allies,-that because the
fight is in France makes it no less an Amer
lean fight The nation is at stake. Not
only the honor of our country, but its safe
ty as we'll.
There must be no half measures in this
war. Either Germany will win we shall
win. Either democracy will prevail or
autocracy will reign in America. Either
we shall come out of this war victorious or
we shall come out subject to Germany.
Our task is the most tremendous that
any country has ever faced. 1t is greater
than England's, greater than that of France
or Italy, or any of the allied nations-and
we must not only give our men abroad
we must give ourselves here. All that we
have, all that we can spare, and that which
we cannot spare
There is no philanthropy in buying a
Thrift stamp. There is no special patriot
ism in the lending your government a few
cents,-the government that is giving you
protection. But there is a vast deal of COM
mon sense in it The government needs
money. on may not nave much, but YOU
can go without something to buy war
saving certificate or Thrift Stamp. =
YOU have in the army YOU have prob
ably already done this, without urging. If
YOU have not, certainly you are doing less
Than your part, if you are not contributing
in some way, to make it possible to care
for the great force of fighting men that the
United States must call upon for the con-
duct of this war, which is being fought that
you may not come under the dominion of
the German Empire
If you have not bought a war saving
certificate or Thrift stamp, that is some
thing definite and practical that you can do
for your government. Do so today, with
out fail, and make yourself one with that
great army of patriotic Pensacolians who
are so nobly standing by their country in
its time of stress.