The Price of Patriotism at Home
As war with Spain breaks out, the Adams County News editor urges Ritzville residents to guarantee support for the families left behind by local volunteers.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The taking of subscriptions for the families and dependents of those who go to the front to battle for the country's honor has reached Spokane, and we are expecting every day something of the kind to happen in Ritzville. Of course, no one man or firm, perhaps, could make the generous offer that Wanamaker and others have made, but it would no doubt be the correct thing for the citizens who remain at home for the present to guarantee in some way that the families of those who go will be cared for. It would be something of a burden, of course, but war is expected to bring burdens that are not borne in times of peace, and the men who stay at home have just as solemn and patriotic a duty to perform as those who go to the front if they will conscientiously perform it. The men who go to face Spanish bullets and Cuban fevers will have troubles enough without having to think about hungry wives and children at home. Swear to them, that by the great eternal, their loved ones will be properly cared for.
“The men who stay at home have just as solemn and patriotic a duty to perform as those who go to the front if they will conscientiously perform it.”
This editorial reflects the anxiety of a small community bracing for the impact of the Spanish-American War. The call to provide for 'dependents' echoes modern debates about the adequacy of social safety nets for those deployed in military service.
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