Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-04-22

Well, and $3.50 well. the war began
last August or about then, anyway,
and the German army invaded the Bel.
gian army. After they got there, the
invasion began. First, they came
around there and then they COM
menced invading. Wen, what / feel
constrained"
He came to the longest of all his
pauses here, and the awful gravity OF
the audience almost suffocated him.
Well he concluded, at don't look
right to me-
-Four mlnutes" the chairman an
nouneed, for Ramsey's pauses had
worn away great deal more of this
| terrible interval than had his elo-
quence. Opening statement for the
negative: Miss ID. Yocum. -Four min
| utes."
AS Dora began to speak, Ramsey
experienced little relief, but only
| little-ahout the same amount Of relief
us that felt by bridegroom when It
Is the brides turn to respond not
really relief ut NIL, but merely the
| slight relaxation of a continuing
! strain. The audience now looked ut
Ramsey no more than people look at a
bridegroom but he failed to perceive
any substantial mitigation of his
! srightful conspicuousness. He had not
| the remotest Idea Of what he had said
j. Iii setting forth his case for Germany,
4 and he knew that 1t was his duty to
| listen closely to Dora, In order to be
| able TO refute her argument when his
two-minute closing speech fell due:
| hut he was conscious of little more
than his own condition. His legs had
nov gone Wild beyond all devllry, and
he had to keep shifting his weight from
| one to the other in order even to hope
that their frenzy might escape gem
eral attention.
He realized that Dora was speaking
rapidly and confidently, and that some
where In his ill-assembled parts lurked
familiar bit Of him that objected TO
her even more than usual but she had
|
he was able to gather any coherent
meaning from what she was saying.
Even then he caught only fragment,
here and there, and for the rest-so
far as Ramsey was cOncerned-~she
might as well have been recitlng the
Swedish alphabet.
In spite Of the rather startling fee
hleness OF her opponents statement,
Dora went at her task as earnestly as
IL II were to confute some monster OF
casuistry. "Thus, having demonstrate
ed that all war Is wrong" she said, APP
preaching her conclusion, 1T Ii scarce
~ necessary to point out that what
ever the actual circumstances of the
invasion. and whatever the status Of
the case In International law, or by
reason OF treaty, or the German oath
TO respect the neutrality OF Belgium,
| which of course was grossly and dis
| honorably vIolated-all this, | say, Ia
dies and gentlemen OF the Lumsf so
clety, all this is beside the point OF
morals Since, as | hive shown, all
war Is wrong, the case may be slmpli-
fed as follows: All war Is morally
wrong. Quod erat demonstrandum.
Germany invaded Belgium. Invasion
is war. Germany, therefore, did moral
wrong Upon the legal side, AS began
by pointing out, Germany confessed In
the reichstag the violation Of law.
Therefore, Germany was justified In
the invasion neither morally nor legal
ly; but was both morally and legally
wrong and evil. Ladies and gentlemen
of the Lumen society, / await the
refutatlon Of my opponent"
Her opponent appeared to be having
enough trouble with his legs, without
taking any added cares upon himself
In the way Of refutations. But the
marvellous Dora had calculated the
length of her statement with such
nicely that the chairman announced
slant of her final syllable; and all
faces turned once more to the uphold
er of the affirmative. "Refutatlon and
conclusion by the affirmative" said the
chairman. "Mr. r. Milholland. Two
minutes"
Herewith, Ramsey coughed as long
as he could cough, and when he felt
that no more should be done In this
way, he wiped his face--agaln an act
of necessity--and quaveringly began:
Gentlemen and ladies', or ladies' and
gentlemen, In making the refutation
Of my opponent, feel that--T feel that
hardly anything more ought to be
said"
lie paused. looked helplessly at his
uncomfortable legs and resumed II
am supposed to make the reputable
refutation Of my opponent, and feel
that | ought to say quite deal more.
In the first place feel that the Inva-
sion has taken place. ] am supposed
anyhow | got postal card that |
am supposed to be here tonight Welt,
In talking over this matter with a cou-
pie Of seniors, they told me was sup
posed to claim this Invasion was morly
and legally all right. Well Here,
by some chance the recollection of a
word Of Dora's flickered into bis cha
otto mind. and he had brighter mo-
ment my opponent said she proved
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