L. Frank Baum

“ The war is a robber; it destroys; it puts its hand in an honest man's pocket without asking his consent; all wars do that. The men who make wars have no souls—no mercy. But they make wars. Wars are desperate things and require desperate methods. There is always the price to pay, and the people always pay it. The autocrats of war do not say 'Please!' to us; they say 'Hold up your hands!' and so—what is there to do but hold up our hands?"
Josie was delighted; she was exultant; Jake Kasker was falling into her trap very swiftly. ”

“ But not so many now; the war has ruined the suspender business, like everything else. Kasker can tell you that, miss."
"Kasker won't, though," asserted Jake in a surly tone. The girl, however, was now on another scent.
"Don't you like the war, then?" Josie asked the salesman.
"Like it?" the eyes half opened with a flash. "Who likes war, then? Does humanity, which bears the burden? For me—myself—I'll say war is a good thing, but I won't tell you why or how I profit by it; I'll only say war is a curse to humanity and if I had the power I'd stop it tomorrow—to-day—this very hour! ”

“ But here, Kasker, who had been frowning darkly on the suspender man, broke in.
"See here, Abe; I don't allow that kind of talk in my store," he growled.
"You? You're like me; you hate the war, Jake."
"I did once, Abe, but I don't now. I ain't got time to hate it. It's here, and I can't help it. We're in the war and we're going ahead to win it, 'cause there ain't no hope in backing down. Stop it? Why, man, we can't stop it. It's like a man who is pushed off a high bank into a river; he's got to swim to a landing on the other side, or else—sink. We Americans ain't goin' to sink, Abe Kauffman ”