July 4th, 1917 WISC 
he found in the thanks of the lie- 
public they died to save. I pray 
that our Heavenly Father may as- 
suage the anguish of your be- 
reavement and leave you only the 
cherished memory of the loved 
and lost, and the solemn pride 
that must be yours to have laid so 
costly a sacrifice upon the altar of 
Freedom. ) 
Yours very respectfully, 
Abraham Lincoln. 
What Do I Owe to My Country? 
Prof. Volney G. Barnes, Principal 
Madison High School. 
The above question is one that 
every man, woman and child should 
be asking of themselves, for our 
country is in trouble. We as an 
American people have not had to 
think of ourselves as Americans. 
We are very used to considering 
the needs of our home, our com- 
munity, and our state, ' but the 
United States has been but a name 
to most of us. We look upon our 
union as something remote from us, 
and now in the time of stress we do 
not seem to realize that our coun- 
try is in trouble, we cannot feel 
that our home is in danger. But 
if we do not rise above our com- 
munity, and state, to a loyal sup- 
port of the United States, our home 
is in danger. Every man, woman 
and child should hear our country’s 
call for we can all serve, each in a 
way he is best fitted to serve. Some 
mil have to go to the front, but the 
large majority of us must stay at 
home. We are apt to feel that if 
we have enlisted, or if sufficient 
number from our community have 
enlisted, that our country’s call for 
help has been answered. That is 
not true, however, for unless we do 
more than send our boys to the 
front we have not done our duty. 
0 N S I N HORTI CU L 
SPECIAL EDITION 
There are a thousand and one 
things that must be done and done 
well in order that our country may 
use to the best advantage her fight- 
ing unit. Many of us are doing our 
part. We are working in factories, 
shops and on farms; we are dis- 
tributing food and growing food. 
But how many of us realize the vit- 
al need for doing these things? 
How many of us are doing them be- 
cause of the wages we receive? 
How many of us arc doing them be- 
cause we need to support our fami- 
lies, with no thought that in doing 
this work we are performing a vital 
service for our country. Every 
man should go at his work with a 
grim determination that in as far 
as lies in his power his country 
shall have every ounce of his 
strength, every bit of his excess re- 
sources. There should be no hold- 
ing back, no reservations. Very 
few of us are doing all that we can. 
We grumble at the call for funds 
for the support of the Army Y. M. 
C. A., Red Cross, and Liberty Loan. 
Some of us seem to feel that we are 
being imposed upon when we 
should rather say: “All that I 
have, all that I am, is yours Amer- 
ica. Yes, even my life if that is 
necessary.” Give me only enough 
to keep strength in my body that 
I may work harder for you. We 
need to wake up, Americans, oui 
country calls. 
The Greatest Need in America. 
House of Representatives, 
Washington, D. C., June 21, 1917. 
My Dear Mr. Cranefield : 
I have yours of the 14th instant 
but I have been so busy upon 
matters of legislation that I have 
been compelled to neglect my cor- 
respondence. I am afraid that 
my compliance with your request 
may be too late for use by you. 1 
am, however, enclosing a brief 
expression which you may use if 
you desire. 
Very sincerely, 
I. L. Lenroot. 
“The greatest need in America 
today is a realization that the war 
in which we are now engaged is 
not primarily to secure liberty for 
other peoples, but to preserve our 
own liberty. If German auto- 
cracy is to prevail in this world 
war, then democracy in the Unit- 
ed States is doomed. It is the 
preservation of our Republic that 
we fight for. We can do it with 
less sacrifice of blood and re- 
sources now with our allies fighting 
with us than we can later if they 
are defeated and we are com- 
pelled to fight alone. The short- 
est road to peace is the enthusias- 
tic support of the American peo- 
lpe in this war. We are in war 
not for England, not for France, 
but for America.” 
False Accusations of Disloyalty. 
Arthur F. Belitz, Madison. 
There is no anguish greater than 
the gnawing pain resulting from a 
false accusation or a false suspic- 
ion. And there is no public griev- 
ance more pentrating to a loyal cit- 
izen than to have his loyalty ques- 
tioned and impugned without 
cause, — especially so by one to 
whom, on American ideals of duty, 
that citizen owes allegiance, respect 
and veneration. 
The record of the German-Amer- 
ican element of our population in 
the building of our nation leaves no 
room for doubt as to their loyalty, 
and does not furnish cause to ques- 
tion it now. Yet, we have been as- 
sailed (1) by crude and boisterous 
express accusations of disloyalty ; 
(2) by equally cutting insinuations 
