Daily Kennebec journal., 1918-04-12
America, Awake!

America, Awake!
Edward Milton Royle has written
the following for the National Secur-
ity League:
It is almost impossible for US to
conceive Of a nation of seventy-slX
millions of people every individual
part of a perfected War Machine. But
though war is Germany's chief indus
try, treachery is her supremest art.
A back fire has been built in every
enemy country. in every neutral
country. The Teuton is fire wor-
shipper and Arson is his God. Rus
sia was betrayed and assassinated
from within and behind even before
her millions were sent to a prepared
slaughter. Rumania was betrayed
from within and from behind by those
who masqueraded as her friends
Greece was hamstrung from behind.
France sleeps uneasily because
masked foe Is in her bed chamber.
England dare not turn her back
upon the allies of William, the homi-
cidal maniac, those alleged friends OF
Ireland who stoned our sailors in the
streets of Cork. Even before the war
Italy swarmed with the crawling In
sectivora OF German spies.
And do we escape? Are we in
peril. deadly peril? We no sooner
put out one blaze than another Is
started. Millions in property values,
priceless quantities of food stuffs for
a starving world. destroyed: many
lives lost and more threatened; and.
worse than all. the physical and ma
terial calamity, the sources Of our
courage and our righteous wrath, are
undermined, asphyXiated
Let us be frank and look the situa-
tion in the face. Our soldiers are
eager our youth unspoiled and will
ing to die to make the world a fit
place to live in. What can WE do
who are too old, or unfit, to fight? We
can give our money. We have given
it and we will to the last cent, if need
be. That's the easiest thing we can
do. We can send our boys forth with
our love and our prayers, and above
all. we must see that they are not be-
trayed from within and behind. We
must take care of those who are
building fires in their rear. We
must. without either fear or hate,
recognize that millions of foreigners
have come to us who have taken all
the best we have to give and who re-
turn to us only suspicion and hostil :
ity. All Of German name and extrac :
ton are not our enemies, thank God.
but we must recognize that thou
sands Of them are either actually dis
loyal or loyal only for the moment.
They must stand up and be counted.
We must take into account those al
legged Irishmen who are the support
ers and hackers of those who insuiteo
and stoned our sailors in the streets
Of Cork.
We must obliterate societies Of or
ganiZed crime like the |. W. w. We
must drive out of public office and
public life those who, like La
Toilette, weep over the restriction of
free speech and are dry-eyed over the
assassination Of our women and chill
dren. We must not be afraid to
recognize and grapple with those
false patriots who own and control
great newspapers. and who use those
great powers TO stab in the back
those who fight alongside our boys in
the trenches; whose voice is the voice
OF America but whose hands are the
hands of the Hohenzoiiern.
We must Americanize those foreign
anarchists who love all mankind but
hate their neighbors, who love inter-
nationalism but who would bring
down our country to the driveling
mad-house chaos to which they are
driving poor bewildered Russia.
Our boys in the trenches are not
the only ones who must he willing to
fight and sacrifice to keep the herj-
taEe of our fathers and make the
world At to live in.