Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-06-03
|nn DEAD HON0RED BY VETERANS OF
THREE WARS AND THOUSANDS

| ooho was III uOuDt, lac
was made to speak in a mass meetins
Oh German citizens, Mr.. Mathie told:
He began somewhat nervously by
telllng his audience that he knew
| they all loved their newly adopted
| country and its flag because it had
Deen their refuge from tyranny and
the open door to wonderful oppor-
tunltles. While he spoke in this
VEN he was frequently cheered nv
all, but when he went on and began
to say that the report of the cimmit-
tee seemed to urge neutrality and
that such a position was not only un-
patriotic and ungrateful, but coward
ly and that there could be but one
course TO take, the Chairman began
10 pound the table with his gavel and
crled' Young man, you are out of
order. Why am l out of orde?'
ne demanded. You're not a citi-
zen.' But my father has taken out
MS papers and that makes me one.'
Inc chairman then sneered, You're
TOO young to vote on this question.
young to fight He then turned to
Sir the lad shrieked, 4 may be
too young to vote but I'm not too
his audience and shouted, All those
who love America enough to fight for
the Union, follow me- Leaping down
from the block he rushed to the door
followed by every man in that meet
ing, except those nine self-constituted
leaders of the German eleme ut in ST.
Louis, who had counselled neutrality.
The lad is well known to you, for it
was Leo Rossieur.
Little did you Boys in Blue think
upon your return from Southern bat
tlefields, that our country would ever
again be in danger, or that your sons
and grandsonS would go 1000 miles
from this peaceful valley, across tur-
bulent seas and into the Jaws of death
that our country might be spared a
fate worse than either disunion or
slaveryi
There was no question in their
brave hearts that America was worth
saving and while they gladly went
forth at the call of our president to
make the world safe for democracy by
toppling from their thrones the auto
crat of Europe, they had a very pre-
cious purpose in their hearts also to
keep the ideals of democracy safe in
America that they and their children
might perpetuate the most perfect in
stitutions of government yet devised
by the brain of man.
''AnG so these boys in khaki in the
Great War saved our union as did you
boys in blue in '61. They are worthy
comrades and fit to march by your
side as defenders and preservers of
our nation, of our liberties, of our de
mocracy. Nor did they fight less
bravely than you. We have read with
eXaltation the stories of your exploits,
at Vicksburg, at Lookout Mountain,
at Gettysburg and in the wilderness.
Side by side We place the glory of
Chateau Thierry of scissors, of F'is-
mes, and Belleau Woods!
America believes in private initia-
tive and individual effort. We be-
lieve God has planted in each man a
personality that is entitled to fullest
development. We are against all au-
tocratic, bureaucratic or communistic
schemes whose end is always a dead
ening uniformity. We don't believe in
strapping man down by a caste or
class system, but prefer to give him
elbow room and a fair chance with
his fellows to go where his ambition,
ability, force, imagination and hard
work may lead him. We have no rev.
erence for kings or divine states, and
look with suspicion upon any extern
sion of government or bureaucratic
power.
"In short, Americans are what they
are because they are individualiSts
instead of socialists beause they are
believers in democracy, instead of
communism.
"You boys in blue as we'll as you
boys in khaki have saved America
but there are raucous voices today
that say America wasn't worth saving
and that its government should be
overturned, by force if necessary, to
give way to what they are pleased to
call the dictatorship of the proletar-
lat or bolshevism.
''BOlShevism is the disease of defeat
ed nations. 1t is the Russian name
for socialism. 1t is the refuge of all
the willing grabbers, the won't work
ers and the industrial slackers. 1t
proposes to take the banks, the stores,
the factories, the mines, the forests,
the farms and everything used in
manufacture, commerce or agrlcul-
ture and make them all common pro-
perty without recOmpense to the own
ers. 1t proposes to deprive every man
of the right to vote who has stock in
any enterprise, who hires other men
to work for him, or who breaches the
gospel. 1t hates the courts, it de-
rides the newspapers and now it pro-
poses to make cheap the marriage
bond. Most of all 1t hates the United
States because it is the complete
answer to socialism and has cOnsti-
tuition so perfect that / challenge any
socialist to name one injustice that