Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-03-29

OF the allies now must be merc1less.
Only by fighting the Hun with some
such weapons as his own can victory
be attained.
ITIs THE TEST
Out Of the slaughter and destruc.
ton OF the wars most astounding bat
tie comes one consideration which de-!
mands attention as illustrating the
difference in the fundamental philoso-
phies underlying the opposing forces.
BY the method Of attack which the
kaiser employed he gave positive proof
If proof be needed-of his absolute
Indifference to human life save only
that single, selfish life which he has
devoted to an insane, merciless cru
SADIE with the avowed aim Of ruling
the world and crushing Christendom
beneath the grinding, mailed fist.
Division after division of German
troops marched on the British, a vast
portion of the men facing certain
death In the hail of shells and lead
from the defenders guns. The
slaughter was sickening, correspond
.ents say. OF perhaps 100000 men
engaged on the German side, losses
were sustained in four days which are
estimated yariously at from 30 to so
per cent. ~
Experiences early in the war had
demonstrated the terrible costltness
of this method of warfare. Only q
conscienceless despot, utterly devoid
OF human or humane qualities, could
demand Of his armies such awful sac
rifces. In the weeks during which
Wilhelm and his war lords planned
and programmed their present Of
fensive, they condemned to certain
death hundreds of thousands Of the
men Of Germany, the men from whom
these same war lords demand utter
and absolute fea1ty and devotion.
Probably the world will not again
see such move in warfare. Certainly
the allies will not undertake It, and
the Germans cannot afford 1t soon be-
cause 1t decimates their ranks too
rapidly.
Long ago the enemies Of Germany
learned that no humane consideration
can be expected from the kaiser or his
followers for non-com batants nor for
any who oppose the sway of Prussian'
ism. Now they know that the strange.
" diseased intellect Of the Hohenzol-
lern is equally incapable of consider
alton for his own retainers.
This is the enemy we are fighting.
The world Is warned that unless kais-
erism Is crushed the world itself must
sink into absolute slavery to his GRIM
inal, barbarous whims.
II there were only the record Of the
fighting of the past five days to guide
nit
less than cognizant Of his own safety
and more than careless for the safety
OF himself and his posterity should he
fail to realize that in the outcome OF
the struggle which is being waged to-
day on the shell-torn. blood-drenched
battle field Of France, rests the future
OF civilization. the hope Of humanity
and the fate Of the Christian Seligion.
! Whatever the immediate result Of
the present battle may be, the day Is
imminent when America and Amen-
cans must stand as the last bu1wark
between the hellish hordes Of the Hun
and the institutions on which depend
all the hopes for the future OF the
human race.
And the responsibility Is as heavy
on each one Of US here at home as 1t Is
upon the commander in chief of the
American armies in France. Those
armies cannot win against the kaiser
unless we back them up. They must
fail II we falter. Their activity can be
no more than the expression OF our
patriotic zeal.
Here in America are the millions OF
non-combatants who form the ulti-
mate line OF civilizations system of
defense. Are you steadfast in your
defiance to the enemy? Are you doing
all you CAM Are you helping to crush
the dangerous pro German propa.
ganda which would undermine Amefi.
can courage and patriotism? Are you
buying War Savings Stamps and Lib.
erty Bonds? Are you conserving food
to help our armies and our allies?
America must be loyal. This is the
test Of our patriotism, the test OF our
form of government, Of our religion.
our civilization and OF our national
and individual courage.