The Delta independent., 1920-10-29
LEAGUE MEANS MORE
GRIEF FOR MOTHERS
No Consolation to American
Motherhood When Sons Fight
In Foreign Quarreis.

" W S'0" Vs'S WV
The followtng IS the last Of
four articles by Capt. Eddie"
Rickenbacker on Why Soldiers Are
Against the League of Nations."
Capt. Rickenbacker was the acc of
sees in american aviation on the
front in France. His acquaintance
smong the soldiers of the late wa,
Is nationwide. When he speaks for
them, he speaks what he knows.
BY CAPT. EDDIE RIcKENsAcKER
Chapter 4.
An American soldier of the line does
not talk much about his mother.
Something holds him back. But he
thinks about her.
When ordered to the front he writes
last to ner. When letters come from
home he looks first for hers. When
he returns from war, hers is the first
face he seeks.
If in battle he faces death, it Is her
features that flash upon him. If he
has time to remember his home it
Is her form that means home to him.
This, / believe. is true of ninety SOL
diers In q hundred.
No man feels more deeply than the
American soldier what war means to
American mothers-especially a for.
Ggp war. So one Of the first thoughts
that come to soldier after reading
the league covenant Is this: Is it
right to expose the mothers Of Amer
Ia to all the grief Of war, Just to help
q foreign nation settle a boundary
quarrel or win a political dispute7
The one consolation Of the American
mother, when her son said good-by,
was that he wore the uniform Of his
country and marched away under the
flag of the United States. He went
because the government of his coun-
try called him. He would fight to up
hold the honor of the United States.
He would risk his life to protect his
country and his people. He would
risk his life to punish the enemies of
his country.
This pride In their sons American
spirit and American loyalty carried a
million American mothers through the
anguish of sleepless nights. 1t was
what brought them through the tor
ture Of the days when American young
men were dying by thousands and no
news came to tell who still lived and
who had gone.
Now just imagine a war which had
not even this comfort for mothers
heart! Could anything be sadder7
Think Of the mother whose son would
be sent to Asia to protect tAe Meso-
potamian oil fields from Russia, or
help France rivet the bonds on Syria
Or to get a piece Of Turkey for
Greece! Or to turn some nasty little
territorial trick for a people we have
never seen and cause nobody could
understand!
Are the mothers Of America to be
cruclfied for foreign Quarrels that new
er end? Can an American imagine a
more needless outrage to be imposed
on American womanhood? Can a sol
der think of more painful sacrifice.
this side of death?
l know that some men, who have
not felt death facing them in front
and anguish waiting on them at home,
have said much about fighting for
mankind. An American statesman
has even sid: 'These men gave their
lives to secure the freedom of man
kind" But no soldier can accept that
II the statesman had been soldier,
he would not have said 1t. Why? Be-
cause he would not have felt it.
The soldier of the United States
fought for the United States. He had
no like or dislike for mankind in gen.
eral. He thought only of his own
country. That was his main pride and
consolation; for his mother, that was
the sole pride and consolation. And
for the mothers Of America, If not for
themselves, American soldiers would
resent any scheme of world politics
which in the days Of war trial and
war misery, would take away this last
vestige Of comfort and leave nothing
but killing anxiety behind.
No soldier can be for covenant
that is 30 cruel to her whom he loves
BEST