Show GOVERNMENT ABLE TO CRUSH TREASON Has Ample Power to Handle Malcontents Malcontents Mal Mal- contents Says Attorney General Genera Gregory I SACRIFICES MUST BE MADE Somo Some Called Upon to Break With Witt Friends and Kindred As Those Did Who Secured Liberties S Enjoyed Today S S 'S By THOMAS W. W GREGORY Attorney Attorney General of the United States of ot few tew agitators agitators agi agi- The sporadic activities a n S who tho led by good or bad motives seek Beek to hamper our work In the war justify me as the chief law officer of ot the executive branch of the government government govern govern- ment mont In calling attention to the duties moral and legal of all persons owing temporary or permanent allegiance to the United States The German government began this war by a n. contemptuous breach of ot o Its formally plighted faith alth made In solemn treaty and from the beginning until now has more than Ulan made maile good this this' ominous earnest of ot Its Intention and temper The president has shown us how one by one as opportunity offered the safeguards which civilization has been able during the centuries to throw aroun around l neutrals and the people of warring nations were ruth ruth- ruthlessly lessly torn down how patient and long long- buffering remonstrance and rind request were met by fair words and fairer promises made only to be broken a We all know as but sober fact act plainly stated that the tile imperial government has allowed no rule of war no principle principle principle prin prin- ciple of civilization no consideration of human humanity ty no teaching of Christian hristian- Christianity ity to stand between n it and the workIng workIng workIng work- work Ing out of its illegal purposes For half a c century that government has and prepared to dominate the world by blood and Iron For half halfa S a century the officials of tie imperial government from the k kaiser iser down including even the teachers of their th ir children have prostituted the minds S of their youth until the whole people has been led to toa a toleration if not approval ap- ap approval approval ap ap- of the tile hideous outrages nn and barbarities s practiced by that government government govern govern- ment in iu this war While yet we were neutral struggling to keep free from the conflict the representatives of that tha government in n this country planned 4 to destroy our factories and our railroads ran rail S roads forged our public papers deceived de i us when convenient violated f our hospitality and our sovereignty w while they plotted against our territorial territorial rial nat integrity they deliberately and with malice and affronting forewarning forewarn forewarn- 5 ing drowned our helpless women andt and t babes and declared a public holiday hollday that their own Innocent children might S celebrate the murder Seek to Rule S They have bombarded unfortified towns and bombed the unprotected homes of their foes taking their toll of wounded and dead from the aged ged and Infirm th the young and the helpless They have made barren desert of the garden spots of the earth they have need needlessly essly pillaged and willfully burned bur ed towns they have reduced to slavery men worn worn-en women and children they have wrecked and torn asunder families with a system diabolical InUs in Its Us efficiency As the war has gone gon on the ultimate aim of the Imperial government has become more and more clear cleu Drunk with the sense of its own power and Its asserted superiority it has proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed to secure a dominating position for itself and for Its system over the entire world Nowhere yielding to the people their rightful powers and arid everywhere seeking to uphold autocracy autocracy autocracy racy and despotism it h has hs s shown its intention to perpetuate absolute government government government gov gov- of which It admittedly is the th head and front Its Is S. S avowed to be the acme of human goodS goodness goodness good good- S ness and endeavor and is to boast the of the world gained by force and arms S. S The world must fight to preserve preserveS S Itself Of this there c can n be no r. r Kings Against Peoples r S Heretofore save saY In rare cases war 5 has been a n fight between armies but this war because of the Initial preparation preparation 5 atlon for for- forIt it by an autocracy which prostituted a whole mighty nation to 5 Its purpose is a contest between peoples S themselves It t is correspondingly Intense Intense intense In in- tense and relentless The march of S. S events shows that It is now nO a war of system system kings kings against peoples If IfS S I GUT ur enemy win kings will dominate dominateS S the world because no democracy fights with or for them The Prussian auto auto- crat and the brutal Turk will impo impose e upon upon us their wills tell us what weS we S may maydo do what we may not do and the horrors and atrocities of ot Armenia le leave ve no doubt what this means m ans I. I S Thus our own very life came to be beS bound up upla In the outcome of this war S long before we entered It and a and d' d ven even venI I 5 S years before the war broke brok To ro the theS theman theman man of vision it Is as clear as sunlight sunlight'S S S 'S that the aim and the plan of the imperial im im- Im- Im penal government was and Is to conquer con con- conquer quer the world nation by nation It 5 was was first to defeat France and Russia a next to dominate Great Britain andS and S with Europe at its is feet to turn toOf to Of America and the German word were to rule Tule around the world I Congress Gave Pledge t l Wi With all thi before re them con congress the ch chosen sen representatives of the tho peo people peo-I peo pIe exercising their constitutional duty and with n a realizing sense of or theli responsibility great 13 announced In joint join resolution that the state of ot war between between between be be- tween the United States and ana the Imperial imperIal Im im- penal German government which has Jim been thrust upon the United States Is 1 and thai hereby formally declared and to to bring the conflict to a n successful termination nil all the resources of tho thc country are hereby pledged This is our promise to those we h help lp our warning and threat to those we fight Our own pair fair name Is bound boun up in this pledge Our honor demands that it be m met t to the full frill measure From the time congress and the president president president dent th thus s spoke for us It became the duty moral and legal of each of ot us to abate nothing that lay within his Ws power to make our pledge good Whatever Whatever What What- ever our views whatever our sympathies sympathies sympathies thies heretofore had been the quarrel was now our quarrel and we wo must be betrue betrue true to It In order to be true to our our- selves That this meant that some of ofus ofus ofus us must break br ak with cherished cb memories memories memories memo memo- ries with friends home and kindred cannot matter So broke our fathers wb who gave us our liberties so must we break to preserve them The man who Is unwilling to mako make that sacrifice Is unworthy the liberties he enjoys andis andis and andIs Is unwelcome in our midst The sovereign sov soy people of the United States have willed that our every available resource re source of men and industry must play Its par part In winning this war and no not t 4 5 h 5 f I a Thomas W. W Gregory read head is too high or too low to wish to escape the l heavy eavy hand of our iga necessity I No Measures Half in Future I have spoken thus far not of the legal gal penalties which attach to lon tion on and disloyalty to this government but tut of the broad political and moral elements of our situation and of the considerations of integrity and honor which must Impel us to loyalty to our ause cause and comp compel l ur ur active aid and support I have done this because after fter all our safety lies not in penal statutes but in a n realizing sense of a righteous cause a firm resolution to do dorar dour our ur full duty and understanding hat that we fight for the liberties of ourselves our- our elves selves our families and our posterity I have purposely moved slowly and with caution in invoking the strong inn flu of the law for seeming disloyalty that more mature lon ion would show the occasional agitator tor or that he was wrong and the rest of ofis ofu u is L were right However I shall not be measured half In undertaking the control con- con rol of ot those who persist In their dis ds- ds loyalty and against the government government government gov gov- arid and its purposes The federal government Is not powerless powerless pow pow- erless to handle such malcontents Amongst other offenses It can prose cute those who willfully make or convey convey convey con con- vey false reports or false statements when the United States is at war with Intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or nava naval forces of ot the federal government or orto orto orto to promote the success of our country's enemies also those who willfully cause or attempt to cause se Insubordination Insubordination insubordination nation disloyalty mutiny or refusal of duty or willfully obstruct the recruiting recruiting recruiting re re- re- re or enlistment service of the United- United States also those who Im- Im pede Tede obstruct ct or prevent the execution execution execution tion of the laws law of the United States Stat s also those who undertake to overawe the officers of the United States In performing performing performIng per per- forming their duties either by direct Intimidation or threats or by Injuring their persons or proper property y also those who engage in seditious conspiracies to overthrow or levy war against tho government or forcibly oppose its au au- New Laws Give Power The recently enacted espionage act is designed among other tl things to punish spies regulate the tho use of the mails and punish those who abuse that use The provisions of the selective draft act provide punishment for those who fan fall or refuse to register or hinder or or obstruct the enforcement of that act Treason defined by the Constitution Constitution tion as us consisting only In levy levying war war against the United States or In adhering ad ad- hering to their enemies giving them aid and comfort Is punishable b by death and the other offenses s m men n- n Honed by severe and just penalties The federal f deral government can find In st statutes and others now peI pending pend ing before congress powers powers' to handle any situation likely to o arise because of the Ill advised d activities of disloyal agitators |