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Show STIRRING, PATRIOTIC ADDRESS," URGING RAILROAD MEN TO IE ON GUARD AGAINSTTHE ENEMY Jed Abbott, of tho claim department of tho Southern Pacific system, with headquarters in Ogden, made an appeal ap-peal for "individual co-operntlon" during dur-ing a remarkable address before the "Safety First" committee meeting recently re-cently held at the Union station. He warned against pro-German activities. J. H. Dodds, superintendent of the O. U. R. & D., presided. Mr. Abbott's address appealed especially espe-cially to tho patriotic, tho logical and tho economical phases of tho "Safety First" problem. He convinced his hearers that "Safety First" is not merely an attractive slogan, but that a strict adherence to its principles means the avoidance of material waste, and offors escape from injury and death for thousands of people. His address follows: War-Mad Germans. "Mr. Chairman: I havo a safety-first safety-first suggestion to make which, in my Judgment, is paramount to any safety device that I havo ever, thus far, had called to my attention. "We, tho American people, havo joined hands with other nations to wage war against a government which, for forty years, was perfecting a plan whereby it could cnslavo tho human race. This government reached a pinnacle pin-nacle of efficiency, as tho Germans viewed it, that justified them In hurling hurl-ing to the world the slogan: 'Might is right' They not only gave attention to the perfecting of their instruments of war and the efficiency of their manpower, man-power, but they instituted a system which has tfecomc known and feared as the German spy system, by which they become familiar with the strongholds strong-holds and the weak places of their selected enemy. "They also selected from their ranks men who wore qualified and trained to work in fields in which they were most adapted. Each man selected wont forth under solemn vow of loyalty loy-alty to the fatherland and his kaiser, with the slogan, 'Might Is right' burned so deeply into his soul that all the higher attributes of man, that wc hold! and honor so dearly, were eradicated. Some of these spies were sent into the battlefields of the enemy to learn of their immediate battle plans; others were sent to neutral countries to work in conformity with the great plan of world wide rule. We have thousands oy these imps of hell in our land, who were trained in the same school as the German soldier, who havo mutilated the bodies of little children, boys and girls; showed a wanton disregard for( the virtue of women and the sanctity of the homo, and crucified valiant soldiers sol-diers who fell wounded on the battlefield. battle-field. First-Hand Information. "I speak advisedly, because, within i the last two or three Aveeks, I havo talked with men who were on their way home from the trenches, where they witnessed tho deeds of the war-! mad Germans. If you were to hear the stories told by these brave men, and had looked into their tear-dimmed eyes, and observed them as they shook and shuddered with thoughts of the not hesitate to believe their stories, i because these men, many of them, knew the day was not far hence when they must go to a premature grave and to their God for final accounting' , of this life's deeds as a result of tho dovlish and cruel devices of our com-; com-; mon enemy: German kultur. s Watch for the Spies. "Now, with this knowledge in our possession, and thereby realizing thati . the next man we meet may be here on a specific mission to wreck a train; . to set off a car of high explosives; burn a building, or do any of a num-j num-j ber of things that would result in loss . to this country and gain to his father-- father-- land and kaiser, and when wo know, ; as has been proved already, that many 3 of these men are under oath to their i kaiser that they will resort to any one 5 of the acts of violence which I havo i enumerated, even at the cost of their j own lives, then Is it not brought homo to us that It is our duty as American citizens and as employes of our company, com-pany, and as defenders of our homes, to enlist ourselves In tho great army of home-defense and be vigilant in seeking out the spy and of training ourselves to observe closely every instrumentality in-strumentality that could be effected by the spy to result in tho loss of life and great damage to our country? "We are advised that the German spy system, not only is Intended to hamper and destroy our physicial welfare, wel-fare, but that the spies are trained by eminent psychologists to come Into our midst and, by dropping a word here and there, sew seeds of discontent discon-tent and disloyalty, with tho intent of dividing us in our great purpose of making democracy safe. Americans on Guard. "I would urge that you be on the alert and zealous in your efforts to detect de-tect the fellow who is hero to wreck trains; burn our homes and supplies, and perchance set off a car of explosives explo-sives that you are handling, and I am sure you will do it and do It effectively. effective-ly. I would further urge that you listen lis-ten to the conversations of men, and when you hear a man say that this is a rich man's war, prosecuted by the millionaires of Wall street, put it down tnat he is an ignoramus and Is in need of enlightenment, or he is a liar and a' spy: In this country, wo have three, distinct classes of men. One. tho American Am-erican citizen, who stands on both feet and looks the world squarely in the face and is proud when he says: 'I am an American with my life and all of my means upon the altar.' " "Then there Is another class, the fellow who hasn't read ; the fellow who hasn't thought; the fellow who doesn't know; the man who. If properly informed, in-formed, would bo in your ranks, an American. It is your duty to put him right. And then there is the other class, tho man who is here to help tho kaiser; the traitor; the spy, who is doing all he can to bring Into his ranks every American citizen that it Is possible pos-sible for him to brlng over. "So it becomes our duty to not only bo on tho lookout for tho spy who may do us bodily harm, but to bo able and I ready to meet every argument that is in any way in opposition to tho fight wo are waging. It Is our duty to support sup-port our government with understanding understand-ing and true patriotism. Itis our prlv- olege to help right any wrong that may dovelop, but not at the suggestion of a traitor or a German spy. With this prlvelcgo goes tho solemn duty of every American to stand by his government. gov-ernment. Don't loso an opportunity to talk Americanism, preach it, sing it and fight for it. The Last Defense. "In this way you will offset tho poisonous, poi-sonous, subtle suggestions dropped by tho kaisor's agents. Bear in mind that this Is our fight; that tho German Ger-man army started for our shores; that tho first lino of defenso is in France and Belgium; the next line of defonso Is tho Atlantic ocean; and the next line of defense Is our army, consisting consist-ing of you and me on this soil. If you think it is a rich man's fight, ask the poor girl In Belgium who is nursing the nameless babe whoso father It will never see. Ask tho Bpirit of the thousands thou-sands of French and Belgian maidens who selected death rather than bo subjected sub-jected to the brutal infamy of tho German soldiers, and then stop and consider that it could havo been, and perhaps would havo been, your sister your wife, had it not been for the heroic deeds of the French and Belgian Bel-gian soldiers, but the sturdy line of British fighters. Each a Committee of One. "So I say, gentlemen, let each man appoint himself as a committee of one, and go out of here determined to do, everything In his power to make this country and our railroad safe against tho devilish plans of tho German spies. Suppose that one of you men wero to uncover a scheme to sot off a car of explosives, or wreck a train, you would perhaps, in so doing, save more human lives and moro misery than has been saved by all of the safety suggestions sug-gestions that havo over been brought to tho notice of our company. If you find a man whoso actions or whose sentiments don't ring true to American Ameri-can principles, report him to your superintendent; sup-erintendent; if he be an outsider, report re-port him to an officer." Ogden is chiefly "a railroad town." Thousands of homes are supported by ' reason of railroad employment, Mr. Abbott's address should appeal personally per-sonally to every railroader and tho general public should tako at least a passive inteiest and lend its co-operation. "Safety First" moans much to idilroad men. |