THE LEAGUE AND THE WAR 



transportation, distribution, and kick out the gamblers 

 in clothing and food and machinery and munitions 

 and armor-plate and everything else that they are 

 using to make seven times as much money as they 

 made before the war and God knows they made 

 plenty then! 



Last Tuesday about ten million young men went to 

 the registration booths and there pledged their lives 

 in the defense of their country's honor. 



This is the acme of patriotism. No blatant dema- 

 gogue approaches within a million miles of the sacrifice 

 these men made last Tuesday when they went to the 

 registration booths. 



And it is right that they should have done it. I 

 believe in the conscription of life in time of war, be- 

 cause it is not right that the burden should be shoul- 

 dered upon those few who have the courage in their 

 blood to go out and fight. 



I believe so thoroughly in conscription of life in time 

 of war that I believe the age limit should be raised to 

 take in all those that advocate war but do not go. 



In time of national crisis and necessity it is the only 

 measure and the only way to raise an army. To try 

 to raise an army by the volunteer system is insanity. 

 Only by conscription can you get the best for war, and 

 only by conscription can you get the best to serve you 

 in office, in state, or nation. 



Well, they have charged us with treason, but I 

 want to say to you that the farmers of this nation are 

 so patriotic that even though this government to-day 

 may be in the hands and absolute control of the steel 

 trust and the sugar trust and the machine trust; even 

 though it is, we are going to do our best by producing 

 all we can. All as it is, if we can't do better we will 

 do that. 



You [those that profit from war] must make this 

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