"My tear vellow, as long as you not forget to wave now and again a leedle American flag, you can safely go on committing high treason in the interest of our Vaterland."
Aid and comfort to our German enemy assume a peculiarly insidious and subtle form, as we are warned by leading papers in various parts of the country, in the attempts of certain journals to confuse the minds of the American people about our motives in entering the war, and to implant seeds of suspicion and distrust concerning our Allies.
Literary Digest, April, 1917.
BECAUSE IT IS THY WAR, IT IS MY WAR
God of the Ages, our father's God, and our God, whose holy influence has shaped and guided the destiny of our Republic from its inception, we wait upon that influence to guide us in the present crisis which has been thrust upon us.
Diplomacy has failed; moral suasion has failed; every appeal to reason and justice has been swept aside. We abhor war and love peace. But if war has been, or shall be, forced upon us, we pray that the heart of every American citizen shall throb with patriotic zeal; that a united people may rally around our President to hold up his hands in every measure that shall be deemed necessary to protect American lives and safeguard our inherent rights.
Let thy blessings, we beseech Thee, attend the Congress now convened in extraordinary session under extraordinary conditions which call for extraordinary thought, wise counsel, calm and deliberate legislation; that its resolves and all its enactments may spring spontaneously from loyal and patriotic hearts; that our defenders on land and sea may be amply supplied with the things which make for strength and efficiency.
And, O God, our Heavenly Father, let Thy strong arm uphold, sustain, and guide us in a just and righteous cause; for Thine is the kingdom, the power, and glory, forever. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Henry M. Couden,
In Congress, U. S. A.,
April 2, 1917.
"THE STARS AND STRIPES IN THE SERVICE OF HUMANITY"
We are now about to accept gage of battle with this natural foe to liberty, and shall, if necessary, spend the whole force of the nation to check and nullify its pretensions and its power. We are glad, now that we see the facts with no veil of false pretense about them, to fight thus for the ultimate peace of the peoples included: for the rights of nations great and small and the privilege of men everywhere to choose their way of life and of obedience. The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities of ourselves, no material compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make. We are but one of the champions of the rights of mankind. We shall be satisfied when those rights have been made as secure as the faith and the freedom of nations can make them.
President Wilson's
Address to Congress,
April 2, 1917.
PROUD TO FIGHT
There are, it may be, many months of fiery trial and sacrifice ahead of us. It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars, civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But the right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts—for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments, for the rights and liberties of small nations, for a universal dominion of right by such a concert of free peoples as shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at last free. To such a task we can dedicate our lives and our fortunes, everything that we are and everything that we have, with the pride of those who know that the day has come when America is privileged to spend her blood and her might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the peace which she has treasured. God helping her, she can do no other.
President Wilson's
Address to Congress,
April 2, 1917.
"ACCORDING TO PLAN"
Hindenburg: "We lost Vimy Ridge, about 12,000 prisoners, 125 guns, 70 mortars, 175 machine-guns, all according to pl...."
William: "Shut up!"
Hard fighting took place again this afternoon on the northern end of Vimy Ridge, in which we gained further important positions and took a number of prisoners and machine-guns.
In the direction of Cambrai we have advanced our line north of the village of Louverval.
Such counter-attacks as the enemy has attempted at different points along our front have met with no success.
The number of prisoners taken by us since the opening of our attack yesterday morning now exceeds 11,000, including 235 officers.
We have also captured over 100 guns, among them a number of heavy guns up to 8-inch calibre, 60 trench mortars, and 163 machine-guns.
British Official, April 10, 1917.
