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Show WHY WE ARE AT WAR Germany has forced America, as it has forced practically the entire world, to defend itself by arms. We are fighting this war because Germany Ger-many made war upon us. America is a peaceful nation; we have no lust for conquest, no desire for annexation annexa-tion of territory; we are defending ourselves against Germany because the Imperial German Government entered en-tered upon a program which meant the destruction of all American institutions. insti-tutions. When we finally recognized that Germany was waging war upon us we had seen more than 225 Americans, Ameri-cans, among them many women and children, killed by German submarines; submar-ines; hospital ships had been sunk and unfortified towns had been bombed and bombarded. Medals had oeen struck in honor of the sinking of the Lusitania, the murderous act uy which so many of our men, women and children, lost their lives. German Ger-man officials had treated the United States, a neutral nation, as an enemy. en-emy. Strikes were organized in this country, plants were blown up, pro-German pro-German publications were founded and subsidized, and hatred of America Amer-ica was systematically sought to be nculcated among our foreign-born inhabitants. Every effort was made o involve us in trouble with Japan .tnd Mexico. Our repeated protests vere met with promises and explanations explan-ations which w:ere little better than insults. The Imperial German Government finally proclaimed the unrestricted destruction of neutral ships upon the high seas. It was the notification to the United States that our people were no longer sovereign, and that if they would sail the seas in safety we must conform to conditions laid down by a Government that defied international in-ternational law, humanity, and elemental ele-mental morality. A policy of terrorism has been systematically sys-tematically applied by the Imperial Government since the outbreak of i the European war. Treaties that stood in the way of German mili taristic plans have been disregarded, women and children have been treated treat-ed with indescribable brutality, the noblest works of art have been destroyed, des-troyed, and prisoners have been abused an maltreated and civilian populations massacred and deported. This is why America has gone into this war in defense of American honor hon-or and American rights. To have done anything else would have been to surrender our sovereignty, and we would have been forced in the end to fieht a conscienceless and rapacious military autocracy an autocracy which is in this war avowedly for indemnities, aggrandizement, and the control of the world. Our success suc-cess means that our children and our children's children will be able to I enjoy peace. Buy a Liberty Bond, get behind your Government, and shorten this war. This is your fight. Our men are giving their lives; you are only I asked to lend your money. There should be, at least one Liberty Bond in every home. There is no better test of your Americanism. . |