The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-10-10
OPPONENTS Of WAR
SEEK FOR SPO|LS
THEY SEEM BLIND TO IMMENSE
BENEFITS THAT WILL ACCRUE
TO UNITED STATES.
GREATEST IS NOT MATERIAL
Congressman Sherwood Compares Sol
diers of Civil War With Those of
Today-Senator Lodge as Leader
Can Assist the President.
BY ARTHUR w. DUNN.


to get out of IT." Is question which
opponents Of our participation In the
war have asked. In one form or an
other the same question has been
asked by those who give but lukewarm
support TO the war since we have be-
come such a vital part of it. If these
persons could see something in the
way of indemnity added territory, or
something in the way Of spoils, they
would be better satisfied. But they
cannot understand just what the Unit
ed States has to gain by participation
I'm the war.
They do not understand that this
much we will gain: That the United
States will establish beyond future
question the right Of its citizens to 90
anywhere upon any peaceful ship of
commerce without danger to their lives
by lurking submarines; that American
ships, as long as we are neutral ma
ton, can sail the seas without fear OF
being ruthlessly attacked and de-
stroyed; that our peace shall no longer
be menaced by any bullying European
remain secure and not be endangered
Dy the Germans seeking expansion.
But more than all else our people
VIII forever feel the blessed satisfac-
non Of having taken a prominent part
In the war for world civilization.
Congressman Sherwood of Ohio
talked about the soldiers Of the Civil
war one day In the house. He spoke
of soldiers who served with him in
several of the fiercest battles of that
conflict. 'They were boys sixteen,
seventeen, eighteen and nineteen years
old" he said, "and although / was
twenty-six when I went into the serv-
ice, those who still survive are older
In life than l am. Every one Of them
Is entitled to pension"
Il am proud of our gallant young
soldiers on the battlefields of Europe"
said General Sherwood, "and / hope
and pray that they will not like the
boys Of 1851 to 1865, have To wait half
Il century before they receive the bcne-
factions of nations gratitude"
General Sherwood need have no fear
on that score. There will probably be
about 100000 surviving soldiers OF
the war who will return TO this coun-
try. They will be the power of the fu-
ture. No political party will refuse
them anything. They will belong to
every section of the country, not to a
part of it as after the Civil war. There
has always been q sectional element In
this country opposed to pensions. That
will not be the case when 1t comes to
pensions for men of the great war.
Every section will be interested In the
very important soldier vote.
Henry Cabot Lodge is a leader who
leads not only in politics but on the
floor of the senate and in the debates.
Several times since the Republicans
chose him as their leader he has come
to the front, and on two occasions with
ringing speeches on the subject Of ne
gotiated peace which have been very
inspiring. Lodge took an advanced
position on our war aims and warmly
supported the presidents curt reply to
Austria. 1t may be that the past per-
sOnal differences between Lodge and
the president will be dropped and If so
Lodge will be of great value to the
president in handling the complex
problems that will come up during the
war and become of vast consequence
Immediately after the war ends.
An ingenious device for signaling
German submarines off the Atlantic
coast was recently discovered. At one
of the seaside resorts there are miles
of electric lights along the board walk.
1t seems that a section of these lights
for distance of 200 yards was appar-
emily out of repair. This whole sec
ton would go out, blink and blink,
futter and tiutter, and after a time
burn as before. But 1t seemed to an
observer who knew something about
telegraphy that there was In this
blinking a little too much system for
an ordinary electric light disturbance.
There was series of dots, dashes and
pauses, which Indicated letters and
spaces between words. OF course the
message, il such 1t was, could not be
declphered for 1t was evident that a
rode was used. 1t goes to show that
there are no devices or tricks to which
the German spies In this country will
not resort.
Congressman Fairfield of Indiana
had this to say In a recent speech
about partisanship at this time and
how early Is entered the present cam
paign: ''The honored speaker of this
house was called on the 14th of May. to
address a Democratic meeting In my
own district, which was advertised to
be the opening of the congressional
campaign. That was six months be-
fore the election. 1t was perfectly right
for him TO go there. II was perfectly
right for him to enter that campaign
mt that time; but oh, the pharisaism,
the hypocrisy of saying. No politics.
when politics was being worked every
minute Of the day."