The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1919-04-04
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. IL need be, that liberty might
ook VIA AoW hA66AO oVVi tk&o AAS-
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
q distinctly cold blooded mood. SEINE
men tell me It will be impossible again
to appeal to the patriotism Of the
NJ TRNnkI~ N
should despair Of my country IL these
things were exactly true. should
doubt our ability to cope with the
problems of peace II % quickly We
should forget the obligations of war.
wonder II those who talk in this
fashion speak considerably? They
tell about the sacrifices" the Ameri-
can people have made. and in their
voices there 10 . metallic tone and in
their mien unconscious austerity.
What 10 meant by the sacrifices of
war for America! Where are our
devastated fields and ruined citiesi
Where our cathedrals destroyed and
homes profaned? Where our defiled
women and starved children and
WICCACu IuCus "nOAo on AhAS Wt0o
continent does hunger stalk abroad or
pestilential disease claim its thousands
of victims? Is It, then. serious sac
rifice to invest ones money In the
Understanding obligations Of ones
government in order to make ever.
lastingly secure the nations freedom
as well as the nations property!
N,,~ ali ~lx
three years before We began to nght
with them. For nearly that period Of
time the United States profited tire.
mendously, In q 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 sleep
beneath the sod of France. Those men
made the supreme sacrifice. Should
we dishonor their memories or dimin-
ish the glory of their service by paus-
ing in the cheerful performance Of an
imperative dutyf
When men undertake to compute
the sacrifices Of war for freedom IN
terms Of commerce would like them
to get vision Of some things saw
not long ago on the far-nung battle
fronts Of Ypres, which will live In
song and story. through time and eter-
nifty. ~ the most memorable Of which
history win ever give account. Thers
they might perceive the real meaning
Of sacrifice. There they could see
what human heroism endured for the
liberty Of the race here and the wide
world over. Here By night and day,
In fair weather and foul. fighting their
way step by step. waist deep In mud
and mire, chilled to the bone. these
incompatible heroes. these crusaders
In the cause OF liberty. fought their
way through inconceivable obstacles
and drove the enemy OF the heights
from which the Hun had literally
viewed the PrpmiaaA Land. QEaAt