The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1919-04-24
The Opening Gun.

Americas duty to her soldiers who
suffered and bled and died for liberty
on the fields Of France was empha-
sized in a stirring speech by Carter
Glass, Secretary of the Treasury, in
the Minneapolis Auditorium the night
Of March 20.
In his talk he pointed out the need
of raising money the government must
have ito finish the job" that the wear
ers Of the khaki started so we'll on
the other side Of the Atlantic.
The speech was the opening gun in
the Victory Loan campaign that opens
April 81 and was followed closely by
a capacity house, made up OF county
chairmen from the Ninth District and
delegates to the Better Business con
vention. He spoke in part as follows:
When l am told Of the difficulties
which will beset the Victory Loan I
refuse to lose faith in the enduring
patriotism of the American people: I
decline to believe that the fathers and
mothers who gave -four million sons
to die, If need be, that liberty might
survive, will now haggle over the ma.
terial cost of saving the very soul Of
civilization from the perdition of Prus.
sian tyranny.
But l am told that we must ap.
proach the problem Of future loans in
a distinctly cold.blooded mood. Some
men tell me 1t will be impossible again
to appeal to the patriotism Of the
American people. Frankly, gentlemen,
/ should despair of my country II these
things were exactly true. l should
doubt our ability to cope with the
problems Of peace If so quickly we
should forget the obligations Of war.
l wonder if those who talk In this
fashion speak considerably? They
tell about the sacrifices" the Ameri-
can people have made, and In their
voices there is a metallic tone and in
their mien unconscious austerity.
What is meant by the sacrifices OF
war for America? Where are our
devastated fields and ruined cities?
Where u cathedrals destroyed and
homes profaned? Where our denied
women and starved children and
wrecked men? Where on this wide
continent does hunger stalk abroad or
~pestilential disease claim its thousands
OF victims? Is 1t, then, a serious sac.
rifice to invest ones money in the
interest-bearing obligations of ones
government in order to make ever.
lastingly secure the nations freedom
as well as the nations property?
Our allies fought for us nearly
three years before we began to fight
with them. For nearly that period. of
time the United States profted ire.
mendously, In a commercial and in
dustrial sense, by the European war.
Immense fortunes were made; pros.
perity pervaded our land. France and
Britain lost millions of men killed and
millions of others wounded. Less than
sixty thousand American heroes sleeD
beneath the sod Of France. Those mon
made the supreme sacrifice. Should
We dishonor their memories or dimin.
ish the glory Of their service by paus.
ing in the cheerful performances Of an
imperative duty?
When men undertake to compute
the sacrifices of q war for freedom in
terms of commerce l would like them
to get a vision OF some things / saw
not long ago on the far-lung battle
fronts Of Ypres. which will live IN
song and story. through time and etar.|
nifty. as the most, memorable css1Aana
as1les! Mlll-SlsEA3 1900