Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-12-30
MARsE HENRY's BEST.

= A. StovalPs Savannah Press, are
rinting since his death the famous
ditorial written by the late Henry
Vattersea on April 7. 1917. 1t was
jrinted in The Louisville Courier
Journal and took the Pulitzer prize
or the best editorial of the year, 1t
vas headed "Vae Victus" ("Woe to
he Vanqiushed'') and the great edi-
or, whose pen has been forever still
I'd, wrote as follows:
There are times when feeling
must be sent to the rear; when
duty must toe the line; when the
aversion brave men have for fight
ing nuts yield t. the adjuration,
"Give me liberty, or give me
DEATH" That time is now upon US.
Unless Patrick Henry was wrong
--unless Washington and the men
of the Clut.on Wer" wrong, that
time is upon us. 1t is lie to pre-
tend that the world is better than
it was; that men are truer, wiser;
that war is escapable, that peace
may be had for the planning and
the asking. The situation which
without any act of Guns rises be-
fore us is as exigent as that which
rose teffre the Colonis.s in Amer
Tea when a mad Eng.I5h King
claiming to rule without account
ability, asserted the right divine of
Kings and sent an army to en-
force it. A mad German Emper-
or, claiming partnership with God,
again elevates the standard of
right divine, and bids the world
to worship or die.
From the beginning the issue
was not less ours than of the coun-
tries first engaged. Each may have
had ends Of its own to serve. Nor
were these ends precisely alike.
At least France--to whom we owe
ali that we have to sovereignty and
freedom, and Belgium, the little
David of Nations-fought to resist
invasion; wanton cruel invasion; to
avert slavery, savage, pitiless slav-
cry. Yet, whatever the animating
whatever the selfish in
terests of England or Russia and
Italy--the Kaiser scheme of world
conquest justified it.
First of all on Bonded knee we
should pray God to forgive us.
Then erect as men, Christian men,
soldierly men, to the flag and the
fray-wherever they lead us--over
the ocean through Flanders
across the low countries to Kohn,
Bonn and Notwithstanding to
fortress of Ehrenbrettein into the
Rhine as we pass and damming the
mouth of the Mozelle with the
debris of the ruin we make of it
then, on to Berlin, the Black Horse
Cavalry sweeping the Wilhelm
strasse like lava down the noun
tainside, the Junker and the saber
rattler flying before us, the tunes
being Dixie" and yankee
Doodle" the cry being "Hail, the
French Republc-Hail, the Repub-
lie of Russia-welcome the Com
monwealth of the Vaterland-n
peace with the Kaiser-no parley
with Autocracy, Absolutism and
the divine right of Kings---to hell
with the Hapsburgs and the Hohen-
bollernsw
"The editorial is published mot to
revive the bitterness Of that time"
says Editor Stovall' in comment.
We are now at peace with Ger
many and Austria. The Hohen-
zollern is almost prisoner in hol-
land, while the Hapsburg is an ex-
lie in the Island of Madeira. Their
countries have been ridden of their
presence and power and there is no
longer any enmity towards the
German and Austrian people. The
Hohenzollerns and Hapsburgs have
not been sent to the place of eter-
nal punishment but to the Dutch
chateau and to the summer house
at Funchal."