The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-01

portunity. more freedom and more liberty
| than in Norway.
Our family consisted of four boys and
| two girls. The eldest boy is dead. One
| brother served as major in France, the
finding himself unable to enter the gov
| eminent service. The two sisters were
| leading workers in all war activities: one
| in Racine, Wisconsin, and the other in
| Seattle. Washington.
| served my country as mayor of the
| city of Seattle and whatever else may be
| said of my administration. all agree that
! it was. is and will continue to be, 100 per
| cent American.
/ And no wonder all our family were good
Americans In broken English. our par
ents taught us the meaning of our flag
| the ideals of our nation and the value
| and sacredness of the privileges we enjoy.
And when the time came when we could be
of service, we were not only ready and
| willing, but anxious to repay to our coun
| try. part of the debt.
! Scattered thruout this land are hun
| dreds and thousands of such families who
have proven to be real, true Americans.
You will find no one speaking of re-
pudiation among them.
Life More Valuable Than Gold.
/ The people of our United States think
more of freedom and human beings than
| they do of gold. We were ready and will
| ling to spend millions and millions in
| order to save one, single human life, or
! shorten the conflict single .day-aye,
| single hour.
While our boys were pouring out their
| life blood in unstinted measure, the peo-
pie at home poured out their wealth IN
| order that the victory might be won and
the world saved in the shortest space of
time and with the smallest loss of life.
Millions were squandered; millions per
| haps misused; millions were poured out,
mayhap with a careless hand in the hope
| of securing some quick result. We spent
during this war $4,000 100000 eight bill
lions of which we loaned to foreign coun-
tries who were fighting our side. We,
the people of the United States subscribed
for the first liberty loan, but even the
fourth loan was not enough to bring about
| final and complete victory; so our gov
eminent ran in debt in order that our
boys might have ships to bear them to
| France; might have camps and hospitals
to care for them; and guns and ammuni-
ton and tanks and airplanes to destroy
the enemy and defend themselves.
On both sides of the water we ran in
debt. Our country's credit was good, and
today our country is about the only coun-
try on the face of the earth which has any
credit left. Britain. today. has issued in
bonds, over two-thirds of her national
| wealth Our country has an income of
sixty billions of dollars per year and the
bonds we have issued for our own use dur
ing the war total but twenty billions of
dollars; or only four months income for
this great country of ours.
We Owe Great Debt.
Our government contracted a great debt
We need four and half billion dollars
at the present time, to make the slate clean
we need four and a half billion dollars
to wipe out our debt of honor. the debt
incurred to win the victory for you, for
Inc. for the world.
Even today, two million of our soldiers
are under arms, one million three hundred
thousand still being abroad. We need
ships; We need food; we need medicine :;
we need transportation to bring our SOL
d1ers home to the land of the free; to
the home of the brave; to the mothers and
fathers; to the sweethearts and wives.
And every soldier under arms cost US
$22 oo per day Every day; we spend
StooOoOOO Tor the care of these soldiers
! The quicker we raise the money the
quicker We bring them home :sthe happier
1t VIII be for them, for you and for me.
Our Great Debt.
| Not only is it a great opportunity. but
1t is great duty. Talk not to me of the
petty sacrifices at home; talk not to me of
what you have subscribed for previous lib
erty Ioans-one white cross shining in the
moonlight of Belgium, marking the last
resting place of one American soldier who
| made the supreme sacrifice, outweicbs n
hundredfold all that. Those who made the
sacrifice were the men who wore the uni
form and were ready and willing to fight.
They offered their lives in defense of you
and me-of yours and mine One million
three hundred thousand still are in France.
| Belgium and Germany, and now ask that
you loan this government the richest the
bring them home
Shame if You Break Faith
If you refuse there is no spot in this
fair land of ours that will grant you CON
cealment or immunity from well deserved
shame and disgrace. In years to come
! whisper in shame the names of those men
who disgraced them by their act of re-
| pudiation.
Let's bring the boys home
Let us pay our DEBTS.
1 say to you that to refuse to do your
share now. is to repudiate your part of
our nations obligation. But, my country
men, you are not going to repudiate: you
have stood the test in the past and you
will stand it now and in the future. You
are going to do your share and when this
debt is wiped out-when this debt of hon