The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-03-19
MoRAL AIMS OF THE WAR

The patriotic meetings to be held in
the Methodist church of this city to-
morrow at and 7:30 p. m. are part
of a national Campaign of educa-
tion on the aims of the war as en-
bodied in the messages of the presi-
dent of the United States" Some of
these aims may be stated as follows:
To win the war against autocracy;
to secure for nations-small and great
safety, justice and equal economic
opportunity; and to establish a league
of nations.
This campaign has the express ap-
proval of the president and it desires
to lead the whole people to see these
war aims as he sees them, and to do
everything in their power to accom-
plish them. The United States has no
other aims in this war than moral
aims. 1t does not desire territory,
nor indemnities, nor military glory,
nor to be intermeddling with the af-
fairs of other nations. Our president
sees clearly that the existence of the
United States and of all other nations
of the world as independent powers
is at stead. If Germany wins, there
will be no independent nations. All
will have to bow to the Whims of tbs
kaiser and Prussian aristocracy. Am
erica cannot stand for such a mon
strous idea. She has gone into the
war to make such a condition of
things impossible. All our people
must be brought to see this alterna-
tive, and unless they be pusilanimous
towards and slaves they will see it.,
and we will be willing to perish from
the earth rather than endure Prus-
sian chains and slavery. The nations
of the world, big and little, must have
the right to rule themselves, so long
as they do not menace the moral
health of mankind. And all the peo-
pie must be brought into such state
of intelligence and morality that they
will rule themselves wisely. Interna-
tional rights must be established and
respected. A nation has no more right
to trespass upon the territory of an
other nation than man has to vio-
lently enter his neighbor's home and
assault his neighbor and his family.
The tresspasser should be punished
proportionately to his crime, whether
it be a nation or an individual. Then
there ought to be some way of pre-
venting such universal holocaus as
the present war. The most effective
means of doing this is to fight the
Teuton to a finish, make him cry
Enough" Then he will have to
agree to our terms. Make it impos-
sible for him to get on rampage for
a thousand years or more. It is fair
to assume that there is nobody but
Prussian who would attempt to con-
quer the world And this obsession
of his has grown out of certain bar
barrie instincts which he has not out
grown, and an exorbitant egotism
which looks down upon the rest of
the world as an agglomeration of
worms to be trodden on at his vii.
And the only way, it seems, to get this
notion out of the Prussian is to shoot
it out And this means that America
has to buckle down to the disagree
able job and give Fritz his lesson
which he viii never forget. Then
there will be needed league of ma
ton to enforce peace, to see that such
an enormity is never again perpetu-
ated on the race, and that will take
any obstreperous nation that will not
take advice by the nape of the neck
and shake all the beligerancy out OF
it.
The public rs urged to hear Drs
MacFarland and Vincent at the Meth.
odist church at and at 7:30 p. m.
Wednesday.
The High School Glee Club, under
the leadership of Miss Margaret Por.
Y ter, has agreed to sing some patriotic
numbers at the evening meeting.