Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-12-07

" COllRl CSS yOoISA SAS~J ~
Wilson in his formal message.
Before his address was hall
completed leaders in the house
and senate announced that the
formal declaration will be passeo
by both houses by Friday night
Immediate war with Turkey
and Bulgaria, Germany's other
allies, the president does not be-
lieye necessary at this time be-
cause they do not yet stand IN
the direct path of necessary
action.
VASSAL OF. GERMANY.
Immediate war against Aus
tria, even though she be only
Ger1nany's vassal and not her
own mistress, the president de-
clared. is necessary because the
central powers must be consld-
cred as one and because the war
can be conducted successfully IN
no other way.
Giving a plain warning, how
: ever. that he would not hesitate
tn ask for declaration of war on
Turkey and Bulgaria when ne
considered it necessary, the pres
| ident said:
I'VE shall go wherever the ne
/ cessities of this war carry US,
but it seems to be that we should
only go where immediate and
practical considerations lead us
and not heed any others"
PRICE or PEACE.
Peace. the president told congress
can come only when the Prusslan
military autocracy is beaten down.
when the German people make peace
With the world through rulers the
world can trust. when they make
rrnaration for the wrongs the present
rniers have done and when the en-
slayed people Of Belgium and north
ern France and the Balkans nave
been set free.
Germany's declaration that she IS
fphting a war of self defense against
deliberate aggression, the president
declared .4wantonly false" and he re-
iterated anew that no one is threaten
ing the existence of the independence
~ tho neaceful enterprises of Ger
many.
OF those who speak OF peace Witnou.
the overthrow of German mlhtaly
autocracy, the president declared:
81 hear men debate peace VINO I'M
derstand neither its nature nor the
way in which we may attain II, WIN
uplifted eyes and unbroken Spirits.
Eut | know that none Of these speaks
fo, the nation. They do not touch
the heart of anything. They may
safely be left to strut their uneasy
hour and be forgotten" -,
Declaring anew that the United
States has no war on Germany's skill,
enterprise or commercial achieve
nents, the president declared the
United States became Germany's en-
omy only when she started out to
dominate the world by force of arms.
HUN POISON IN RUSSIA.
The developments in Russia the
president dismissed in few words:
"The Russian people have been
poisoned by the very same dark
falsehoods," he said, that have kept
the German people in the dark, and
the poison has been administered by
the very same hands The only pos
sible antidote is the truth. 1t cannot
be uttered too plainly nor too often
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
The president spoke as follows:
"Gentlemen of the congress:
Eight months have elapsed since
I last had the honor Of addressing
you. They have been months crowded
with events of immense and grave
significance for u.s.
81 shall not undertake to detail or
even to summarize those events.
"The practical particulars of the
part we have played in them will be
laid before you in the reports OF the
executive departments. I shall dis
cuss only our present outlook upon
these vast affairs, our present duties
and the immediate means OF accomp.
fishing the objects we shall hold al
ways in view.
ENEMYs WRONGS oDIoUs.
81 shall not go back to debate the
causes Of the war. The intolerable
wrongs done and Planned against US
BY the sinister masters of Germany
have long since become too grossly
obvious and odious to every true
American to need to be rehearsed.
But I shall ask you to consider
again and with very grave scrutiny
our detectives and the measures by
which we mean to attain them; for
the purpose of discussion here in this
place is action, and our action must
move straight toward definite ends.
Our object, of course, is to win the
war, and we shall not slacken or suf-
fer ourselves to be diverted until it is
won. But it is worth while asking
and answering the question, When
shall we consider the war won?' 1
CONTEMPT FOR PACiFlSTS.
From one point of view it is not
necessary to breach this fundamental
matter do not doubt that the
American people know what the war
is about and what sort of an outcome
they will regard as realization OF
their purpose in it.
"As a nation we are united in spirit