T'4fnym3
The Commoner
;VOL. 18, NO. 2
Why the War Must
be Fought Through
Before tho war was decided upon, whether the
country should enter tho war was a matter of
personal opinion hut when tho nation acted, It
acted for all. It hccamo our war, and tho sup
port of tho government hecamo the duty of
ovory cltizon. Tho shortest road to peace Is the
road straighi ahi.d of us, with no division
among our people. Division now would simply
tond to prolong the war ant' make it more costly
in money and in men, and no one can afford to
tako upon himself tho responsibility of adding
ono unnecessary day to tho war's length or ono
unnecessary drop of blood or dollar from the
nation's troasury.
Tho moro earnestly one desires peace, tho
moro loyally ho should support his government
as tho only moans of hastening peace.
Patriotism is lovo of country expressed in
torms of national service. It is a permanent
quality but manifests itself In various ways ac
cording to tho noods of tho time. It requires
that tho cltizon shall put his country above him
self and tho interests that are personal to him,
no matter what tho cost of tho sacrifice This
ho does without attempting to figure out what
ho is to recoivo in return or when the return is
to bo oxpocted. If ho wero to enter upon a sys
tematic calculation ho would find himself very
largoly Indebted to his country for advantages
jo groat that ho can hardly estimate them and
10 long enjoyed that he seldom thinks of them.
Tho good that ono dorives from citizenship in a
jountry like ours onters his life somewhat as
Iho broath onters his body. He receives as a
tnattor of.courso and ho enjoys without stopping
lo think of his condition if ho were deprived of
Iho blessings that are his inheritance because ho
lives under tho (lag. It is only when his enjoy
ment of them is interrupted or whon a right is
lonlod, that ho roally recognizes the importance
afthat which Is daily his but wjiich ho uncon
jcloualy. accepts and uses.
Tho Amorlcan citizon lives under the best
government in tho world: It is a people's govern
ment, administered by those whom tho people
chooso, and according to a written constitution
which tho pooplo made and which tho people
jilono can change Our government reflects the
ncreasing virtuo, intelligence and patriotism of
tho people and can be made as good as the peo
plo desire It to bo.
Becauso American citizenship carries with it
moro blessings than citizenship in any other
land tho American citizen should be willing to
sacrifice moro than any other citizen to make
suro that the blessing of ui8 government shall
doscond unimpaired to his children and his child
ren's children.
Tho return which the citizen makes to his
government Is usually mado in the payment of
taxes. The work dono by his town or city is col
lected for through assessments made against his
property and Is counted in his fixed charges. The
work done by his state is likewise charged up o
him in some proportion fixed by law. And so
with his contribution to the federal government
Ho makes these payments sometimes willinelv
sometimes grudgingly, but in ordinary tlnS
tZXl&r' thG Whle COst of ""
He is Hablo, of course, to jury duty but ha
receives compensation for this. It is his dut
tS;.tobtttrthr?auM?' primaries
tions, but as ill's is not compulsory, the Per
formance sa matfor of convenience where it is
not a matter of pleasure or political interest
In time of war, however, the cost of citizen
ship Increases, and ho is called upon to respond
o numerous demands which are unknown "
times of peace. The most extreme demand that
can bo made upon his patriotism i8 the call to
put his life at the command of his government
and die, if necessary, in its behalf SeEw
? nraorVillle t0 o this in this country than
in any other becauso iho right to tak fw Tl
try into war is not lodged I In an hrSm Un"
arch as it used to be XZTuL
still is in some of the countries of Eurone w2
power can involve th a country in war exeent J
congress and that congress is now chosen L
representative a body as the house and is as
completely under the control of the people. The
citizens of tho United States, therefore, have all
the protection against war that modern methods
of government have provided they are carried
into war only by the deliberate act of those
whom they have chosen to speak for them.
In former days the soldiers needed to meet a
now emergency were secured by the volunteer
system the call being general and the responses
being dependent upon tho volition of the citi
zens. In this war, however, congress by a large
majority substituted for the volunteer system a
system described as selective conscription. Under
tnis system, iiiu uue nmno mc av . ...
in those limits are required to register. Then
those who have registered are classified accord
ing to certain rules that are intended to recog
nize relative equities. The conscriptive system
does not prevent volunteer service but it has
naturally lessened the compelling force of a call
for volunteers.
While comparatively few are called to military
service, the number depending upon the resist
ance to be overcome and the length of the war,
every citizen has his part in the winning of the
war. He is expected to observe such rules as
may be prescribed for the. production and con
servation of food. Those who are in authority
in Washington make their calculations as to the
amount of food needed for the army and navy
and' as to the kind that, is most needed. And in
this way we have to consider not only the needs
of our own citizens and soldiers but also the
needs of those who are in the fight with us and
in whose welfare, therefore, we have an interest
scarcely less than our interest in our own people.
It Is the duty of the food producers to give spe
cial attention to the forms of food which are
most imperatively needed and to call to their aid
new recruits to take the place of food producers
selected for service in the army. The child
group Is the largest single group from which ad
ditions can be expected and they can be sum
moned the more enthusiastically because partici
pation gives the children the proud consciousness
of being factors in the nation's life and helpers
in the nation's time of need'.'
In the matter of conservation, all can have a
nart for while less than half of our people may
be counted as producers to any extent, every cit
izen must be counted in calculating the demand
for food.
The furnishing of money to carry on the war
is as necessary as the furnishing of men, and a
fa'lure to respond to the country's call in the"
matter of money would be as disastrous to our
cause as a failure to supply the soldiers needed.
The government obtains this money usually from
two sources, taxes and loans. If anyone is tempt
ed to complain of additional burdens laid upon
him through the new revenue law, he should
remember that taxes, however high, are paM out
of income and that the capital is usually left un
touched; whereas, those summoned to military
service are called upon to surrender principal as
well as income.
Ta.X? Aherefore are less burdensome unon
the individual than military service and lo?5E
are still less burdensome to I the present een-r
l movta??ti0n When the eovernmengt "ej
ects money through taxes it does not oromisfl
to return it, but when it borrows money it not
only pays back everjr dollar that it borrows Zt
pays interest on the money while it keTpl it
Interest at 4 per cent, the rate on. Liberty bonds'
s morenhan the average rate paid by the sav'
ng banks of the country. When one responds
San to2foSXnStt,ie,form f'a eovernmen?
loan, therefore, he not only answers a call unon
his patriotism but makes a good busing
o?SnTf;Hhe GXhibitS the nioft profitaSeSfo m
of patriotism which he will have a chance S
roahlfe8t WheiT er a government bond ceases
. to be good security, there will be nothing elS
in this country worth investing in- shice ? l
eminent bond is not only a fliS'mortSage
every dollar's worth of property under the flarr
but has the nation's honor thrown in to make
the security doubly good.
The citizen has not, however don m , n
duty when he pays his tax and bSs Libertv
bonds; there are certain unofficial oSniatW
that have a claim upon the piirae ofS!
organizations which, though thivu Uzen
' power to compel response hive annSab
claim upon the nation's .resources. Undeniable
.? ross SQciety ia an established insfi
tution with tho world for its field of serviri w
has no rival in ministering to tt comfort of the
sick and wounded. When it asked for one hun
dred million dollars for its work, the country
gave one' hundred twenty miUioJn.--Pi,oof of the
organization's hold upon the confidence of tho
people and proof also of a nation's liberality,
The Red CJross society must be supported in
its work no matter how often it calls or how
much money it needs.
But the soldier needs to hare nourishment
for his spiritual nature as well as rood for his
body and the Young Men's Christian Association
takes the lead in looking after the morals ot
the men. The strength of its position has also
been proven by the generous response which tho
publip has made to its calls for funds. When
last spring it asked for three millions it received
four millions -and when it made its recent call
for thirty-five millions the country responded
with more than fifty millions.
The Knights of Columbus, a younger organ
ization, has recently entered the field and is
sharing with the Y. M. C. A. "the task of trying
to maintain in the army the moral standards of
home. It, too, found a willing public when it
called for funds. The Lutheran Brotherhood
and the Jewish organizations have also heard
the call from the canrps and are preparing to
do their part, as is also the Young Woman's
Christian Association, which has long been en
gaged in "rendering to young women a service
similar to that which the Y. M. C. A. has been
rendering to young men. All of these organiza
tions are worthy and their united efforts, taken
in connection with the efforts of the govern
ment, are surrounding the soldiers with an en
virbnment more wholesome and more helpful
than has ever been furnished by .any other gov
ernment or ever before by our awn government.
But I have merely suggested some of the way3
in which the citizen can serve 'his country. I
have not attempted to exhaust the list. Every
day records some new evidence of thoughtful
interest in the soldier at the front and in those
who stand behind the soldiers helping hi-n in
his work the women bearing their full share in
this as in every other altruistic "undertaking.
And back of all this is the spirit of loyalty
which furnishes a guarantee that 'the nation's
support of the government will he complete and
constant a support which will be both united
and enduring.
W. Jv BRYAN.
NEITHER BEAD NOR SLEEPING.
The New York World is outdoing' Jeremiah in
the matter of lamentations. He is a sample of
its sorrowing:
"The historic democratic party is dead.
"We do not mean that the democratic organ
ization has ceased to exist. We do not mean
that there are no more democrats. Nor do we
mean that the democratic party is dead in the
seifse that the federalist party is dead, or the
whig party is dead, or the greenback
party is dead, or the populist party is
dead. What has died is the democratic party
of Jefferson and Jackson and Tilden. The prin
ciples of government which they enunciated and
advocated haver been obliterated. What slavery
and secession and silver were unable to accom
plish has been brought about by prohibition and
woman suffrage.
. "The death-blow to Jeffersonian democracy
was delivered by the democratic senators and
representatives from the south and west under
the leadership of William J. Bryan, who car
ried through the prohibition amendment. The
coup de grace was administered by Woodrow
Wilson, president of the United' States, in in
dorsing the federal suffrage amendment to tho
constitution."
No, dear World, the party of Jefferson ia
neither dead nor sleeping. It is so much awake
that it can not be fooled by the liquor interests
any longer. It has taken the moral side of two
great moral issues. It is alive and growing.
CAN YOU BEAT IT?
m1 thie ls day of June- 1917," Kentucky had
with in her borders sixty-one per cent of tho
whiskey of the United States, and yet a demo
cratic legislature ratified the national prohibi
tion amendment by a vote of morethan. five to
one and then, by practically the same vote, sub
Sit ti a prohibitIon amendment tpthe state con-
ai5oanJ,epV!bllcan testelatureshow a better
record? This is the greatest moral issue of the
generation and the democratic party is on the
moral side. - - .
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