The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-04-05
Federal Officials Are Asked
To Bar 1t From Mails
RAPS NATION WAR POLICY
He Charges That Spectators
Plunged America Into This
Bloody Conflict
]ST.- Paul DISPATCH
-oYn Thtircdavse n,i,v

book written by Charles Lindbergh,
A. c. Townley's Nonpartisan choice
for governor of Minnesota, entitled
why Your Country is at War;
What Happens to You After the War,
and Related Subjects
Patriotic citizens of the northwest
have requested the book be barred
from the mails because of its attitude
toward the governments war policy.
The book, written by Townley's
hand-picked gubernatorial candidate
after America had entered the war in
1917, is regarded as a text book for
certain type of propaganda identified
as Nonpartisan, and becomes an issue
in the Minnesota Nonpartisan fight.
Lindbergh's idea that the American
nation was adroitly Unanswered into
the position where some of our rights
would be trespassed, and the country
forced into war is revealed in the VOL
ume IL.
This is how he puts it:
why is our country at war and
how does it happen that already some
of the best citizens have gone and
that great numbers are about to be
sent to the battle fields in Europe to
kill and be killed?
"Trespass upon our rights on the
high seas makes our cause just, still
i do not claim that it was wise to
4 enter the war. | believe that the
problem could have been settled with
out war or sacrifice of national hon.
or, the same as We expect to adjust
our trespass upon our rights to the
high seas by other nations. (Meaning
England-)
dinner Circle" Blamed.
"Our purpose is humane, neverthe-
less, believe that / have proved that
a certain inner circle without Off
cial authority and for selfish purpos-
es, adroitly Unanswered things to
bring about conditions that would
make it practically certain that some
of the belligerents would violate orr
international rights and bring us to
the war with them"
The writer of the foregoing para
graph will stand face to face in the
June primaries with candidate who
believes in carrying out General
Pershing's plea to the American peo-
pie:
"Smash that damnable Hun propa-
ganda at home"
The familiar Nonpartisan doctrines
of wealth CONSUMPTION again are pre-
scented in Mr.. Lindbergh's book. He
criticizes the reckless" and wan
ton" travelling on the high seas in
the danger zone by neutrals and con-
tends the ship owners should not
have tempted any of the belliger-
ents to violate the international laws
in defiance of Americas right"
Dragged in BY Profiteers.
A further version of his opinion
why America is at war is contained
in the following paragraph:
"Mr President, we did not begin
the war. 1t was not originally our
choice to go to war We were drag
ged in because the war for profit
group refused to sacrifice tempo
rarily their speculations. If they had
done so they would have failed to
add the several billions of profits
that the war has Melted them Rather
than lose that profit, they carried on
a traffic which tempted the violation
of the freedom of the seas as public
highways by all of the belligerents
Driven to Give War Aid.
This is how he sizes up the "drive"
to compel folks to Subscribe to the
various war work activities:
at has indeed been humiIiating to
the American people to see how the
wealth grabbers, owners of the
big press actually attempt by scurH.
lous editorials and specially prepared
articles to drive the people as if
we were lot of cattle, to buy bonds,
subscribe to the Red Cross, to regis
ter for CONSUMPTION and all the other
things. The people will do their duty
without being hectored by the bio
interest press. What right, anyway,
has the big press to hecke the peo-
Pile as If we really belonged to the
wealth graEbers and were their chat
tel property"
Draft Forced on People.
Concerning the CONSUMPTION of men
he says:
1.-The next step was to resort to con-
scription Of men. In some OF the
states even women are forced to reg
lister. The CONSUMPTION is intended
to raise, by force if necessary, armies
to cross the seas to fight in foreign
lands.
hClC 10 ulhSlcuCC VI opinion
among the people as to whether or
not we should conscript men to send
across the seas to wage war under
the existing circumstances.
$50 the part of the press controlled
by special privileges, realizing this
and knowing full well that, no. con-
scription would be necessary to get
men to serve, to defend the nation as
against any prospective invading foe,
but doubling it for securing a great
American army to invade foreign
countries, did not dare TO submit
CONSUMPTION to a vote OF The people
so congress, on the pressure of the
press and on the advice of the presi-
dent voted to consc.:pt men for the
purpose.
Repeal Of Law Hampered.
Already we have many men across
the seas and they are our soldiers
and more are on their way, and still
more are certain to be sent.
There Is move now being made
to repeal the conscription law, but il
is quite a different proposition now
from what it was before our soldier
boys went across.