Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-10-11
THE PURPOSE OF THE WAR

FROM tune to tune tie demand is made that there be
made a declaration on the par, Of the United States as to
our purpose in this war. As a rule these demands come
from German sources or from sources friendly to Ger
many On the part of the rest Of our people, while I'M
derstsnding may not be perfect, there is the profound
conviction that ne are xa-rsnE in a righteous cause and.
that being true. it Is considered of more importance a.
this time TO wage way Vigorously and nanfuly. and sue
cessfully- than to waste or energies on an elaboration
OF all the minrtae Of the conflict
Nevertheless, az an aid to clear thinking and to the
end that al no tine viii be he n cont15oa as 10 tie g
sue. it is useful occasionally 10 review tie ssaz-o. and
to take accoun, Of the steps ny which We reached DER
presen, position
Specifically. i, may be said tia, ". are 70. ~zr-sax
in order that the injustice ,hs, va. done 20 little Serbia
may be repaired We are not fighting 70 avenx= Beak5zm-
We are not at war to restore ~Aaszee-Lo--zine 70 Frzao
We are not at war to obtain satisfaction tor tie death
of hundreds Of our citizens who went down win The
Lusttania and in other tragedies Of lesser scope Th=s
things, important as they are, are but incidents TIE OFT
RACES which Germany has committed. similar in cha-ze-
ter to those. mentioned, and including a long and hor.1-'
BILE list which need not be recapitulated here, were irr1-
tants Of q nature which tended to create a condition max
ing war inevitable. But it is not ON account Of these
things IN themselves that America is preparing 20 PIT
forth her mightiest effort, for these are but symptoms q
an underlying disease which must be eradica.ed beto-s
the world can be at peace.
The injuries which Germany has inflicted on TIE
smaller nations. on Belgium. on Poland. on the helpless
Armenians, for Germany is responsible there, and on
Serbia, the outrages which she has committed against
helpless people at sea, the needless devastation which
SNo AOASS IS ASS"N@
which she has committed against women, and little
children, and old men, and the inhabitants of open cities,
all these are the natural and necessary consequences of
the spirit that has inspired and does inspire the Ger
man government, the determination to rule by the strong
hand, and to observe no law Of either God or man. to be
guided by no spirit of humanity, to recognize no con-
sideration of honor in the dealings of nation with nation
or man with man, the determination, at any cost, to weld
the might Of the strongest peoples into one mighty weap-
on, and with it. by force or by terror, to impose her rule
on all the world.
That is the spirit of Germany, and out of that spirit
grew the Thousands Of enormities which have shocked
the world, and which, as they accumulated, brought ma
ton after nation into arms against her. And it is against
that spirit, and not against any Of it's particular symp-
toms, that America, with the other democracies of the
world, is at warSoday. 1t is to destroy that spirit as one
of the ruling influences of the world that we are MAX
ing ready to fight. And because warfare against that
spirit is thoroughly consistent with the spirit of Amer
lean institutions. We extend our sympathies to our friends
across the ocean, who. in rain and mud, in the face Of
unthinkable obstacles, are manfully carrying on the
fight while we make what haste we can to join them.