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Show H "A READER" SENDS A H SPEECH. H "A Reader" of the Standard sends Hj us a communication, enclosing a H speech delivered In congress on April H 26, by Hon. E. E. Roborls of Nevada, H in opposition to conscription, and on H a card is this question: H "Why not print this In your paper?" W Congressman Roberts' speech Is H quite long, but at some future time M we may review it at length. The sen-B sen-B timents uttered by tlic Nevada repro-B repro-B sentatlvo arc not in accord with tho Hi best thought of the land. Roberts in-M in-M sists on the volunteer system, al-H al-H though two months after a declaration Hf of war which has brought us into a H struggle involving the liberty of all Hj our people, tho response to the call H of arms has been sliamefully short of H the requirements of even the standing H army of the United States. H The volunteer system, In a conflict H such as we are entering, places the H entire burden on tho willing and of-H of-H fers a premium to the sneak and the H slacker. The most heroic are sent to H the front and the craven are left to H profit on tho sacrifices of the noble H and the best. H Congressman Roberts repeatedly cm-M cm-M phasizes his devotion to his country, H his love of tho flag and his willing' Hl ness to contribute to tho defense of H the land. Ho is a little too loud In H his declaration of his undying Ameri-H Ameri-H canism. Evidently he realized his ad-H ad-H dress was out of harmony with the H spirit of true patriotism and he was H apologizing. Hero is a paragraph: H "It is easy enough to sit down here B and provide means by which, under B the law, you can go into the homes and Hdrag from tho firesides of this coun-H coun-H try anyone you desire and put him B1 into the trenches of a foreign land. H Such action is a body blow to liberty. B It is wholly incompatible with any B conception of personal liberty." B Has Congressman Roberts ever B heard of a posso comitatus, which is B the power given the sheriff of a coun- ty, in time of disorders, to summon ! every male Inhabitant to do duty? That is war and conscription on a small scale and is necessary to the H preservation of orderly society. This H greater war, which requires conscrip-K conscrip-K tlon, is for the purpose of resisting B the aggressions of the mailed fist and M for the maintaining of a civilization M free from a form of slavery such as Hi has been practiced in Belgium during M the past two years. K Mr. Roberts is distressed because B our troops are going into tho trenches m in a foreign land. Ho would have us B wait until the fight was carried to our H own shores and the possibilities of a H successful defense woro greatly de-H de-H creased by our stupidity in allowing B tho enemy to gain a mighty advnn-Hf advnn-Hf tago. H Having entered tho war, it is for H us to make war in tho most aggres-H aggres-H sive, determined, efficient way. Eith-H Eith-H er ,that, or slink out of sight llko whipped curs, and bo beaten back at every reappearance. |