The Colorado statesman., 1918-04-27
LOYALTY IS OUR FIRST DUTY
An Address Before optmlst Club of Denver.
BY HON. C. W. WATERMAN.


ing.
Must Help Helpless.
There is another proposition. 1t
is coming What are you going to do
when this war is over? 1t cannot last
always. What are you going to do
with these MILLIONS of men, many OF
them wounded and helpless, when they
come back to this country to be taken
care of? You haven't the unbounded
West that you had after the Civil war.
The government must have foresight
enough to prepare to meet that situa-
ton. If we don't, we will be threat
ened with Bolsheviklsm and the whole
train of socialistic evils which they
have In Russia. Those men are going
to be entitled to be cared for, to be-
protected, and to be put upon the high
way of success, and it is the duty of
the government of the United States
to take care of them.
No One Wants Charity.
Charity is abhorrent to human ma
ture. Men need opportunity, and If
they can't create it themselves, let us
create it for them. Some one must
make it, and want to say to you, gen.
tlemen. that the American people have
got to wake up to the fact that those
who are unfortunate in one way or
another must have the way made easy
for them to make living. Now, when
these soldiers come back what are we
going to do with them? There are 35,-
100000 men in arms in the world to-
day. What is to be done? Demobilize
them in the inverse order of their
mobilization.
Take these helpless men and train
them for some occupation where they
can take care of themselves. Take
those who come back with all ties
broken, family relations gone, hope it.
self almost blasted those men must
be trained in those cantonments and
places found for them so that they can
take care of themselves.
Reduce the Land Holdings.
This great big western country
must be split up. The government
must in some way make 1t possible to
divide the large holdings of land into
small farms and make it possible for
these men, and men of the over
crowded cities, to return to agricul-
tural pursuits and to borrow money
from the government for long periods
of time and at low rates of interest,
so they can build for themselves, sup
port themselves and their families and
aid the country.
1T does not make any difference
whether it is the German language or
the Italian language or the Russian
language, it must go out of the public
schools. You know that when God AL
mighty wanted to break up the whole
system of society in ancient times He
confused their language, and broke 1t
up, and He scattered all the people
over the face of the earth and the
place was called Babel. Now, let us
take the inverse order and build up
the American people. There Is moth
ing on earth that creates that unity
of purpose. that persistent driving
force of patriotism, like universal,
single language, and there is no Ian
guage on earth so pure and simple and
beautiful az the English language.
Loyalty, Loyalty, Just Loyalty.
Let us have unlimited loyalty! Let
that be our text! Loyalty to the gov
ernment of the United States, because
if that goes down there is nothing
left. Let us have enthusiastic sup
port of the President of the United
States and the government of the Unit
ed States. Let us stand for a vigorous
prosecution of this war to a conclusion
which shall secure to us and to our
posterity a lasting peace. founded up
on a righteous and final triumph of
our arms, because the Kaiser con-
spired against our government; be-
cause he violated every tenet of hui
man civilization; because he has brok-
en- every pledge of International rela-
because he has insulted and
deceived us; because he ruthlessly,
and without cause or excuse, slaught-
cred Belgium, because he sought to
parcel out our territory; and because
he murdered our women and our child
rem.
"And so, gentlemen, while we stand
in the presence of the dead patriots
of England and France, commend for
our guidance. for our inspiration and
for the exalting genius of our purpose,
those living words uttered by Abra-
ham Lincoln when he poured out his
great soul amidst the soldiers dead,
at Gettysburg:
"Tt is rather for us to be here
dedicated to the great task re-
naming before US; that from
these honored dead we take in
creased devotion to the cause for
which they here gave the last full