The Devils Lake world., 1921-05-25

and die. The high authority. empowered BY
the law of the land, commanded these men to
70 out to battle and to death. In the day Of
judgment who will be found guilty
We are commanded to love our neighbors as
ourselves. Who are our neighbors? They may
be those who live next door, and they may be
the nations beyond the border We do not
always love either and the millions Of dead
whose lives have been sacrificed in needless
war, are a crying and lasting shame upon us
for our disobedience. Those men across the
firing line were our neighbors, and we loved
them not In the day of judgment, who will be
found guilty? Our churches are teaching the
gospel of love and the necessity Of keeping the
commandments of the Lord, yet we pay little
heed to the teachings, and far too many of US
forget both the Lord and the commandments,
and we are conducting our affairs upon the
principle of revenge.
Today the United States government is offer
ing reward of fifty dollars to be paid to any
civil officer who arrests and turns over to the
military authorities any of the so-called desert
ers, or men who registered and failed to respond
when called. Would it not be better to offer q
reward for the arrest and conviction of the
thousands of grafters who took advantage of
circumstances and robbed the government in
every possible way, sent defective war mater
ais, poisoned and decayed food for the soldiers
to eat, deprived those in the field of the food
they were supposed to receive, and a thousand
and more misdemeanors that deserve far
greater punishment. Would it not be better to
investigate the conduct of officers in command
of troops, who failed to conduct themselves &C.
cording to army regulations and brought dis
grace upon themselves and the uniforms they
wore? In the day of judgment who will be
found guilty: he who obeyed the commands of
the Lord or he who disgraced his title to man
hood and brought suffering upon millions of
people and disgrace upon his government? Who
is the greater criminal and who deserves pun
ishment? The greater criminals are in high
places, and thousands of them are now enjoying
the wealth they extorted from helpless peo-
pie, in the most outrageous crimes ever perpe-
trated in the history of nations. In the day of
judgment who will be adjudged guilty? The
Bible teaches forgiveness. Are we to forgive
the real criminal and punish or brand with in
fanny the It's, 900 American boys who failed for
various reasons to meet the requirements of
militarism. Does our boasted Americanism
need to be stripped of a veneer that has hid
den it's true character? Should we tear down
the emblem of liberty, cease to sing our pa
triotic songs, remodel our national Constitu-
ton and declare new set of regulations, that
will be more on the order of bolshevism than
the time-honored principles that have made
America great? No! Yet: militarism is the
curse of any government and the cause of
trouble in all nations It impoverishes the peo-
pie, corrupts the morals of those who are will.
ingly or unwilingly enrolled in the ranks, breeds
trouble everywhere, and leaves in its trail
disease, death and destruction of every descrip
ton. 1t robs the home of its fondest hopes anc
the nations of its brightest jewels.