Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-08-04
CRUSH GERMANY
TO BRING PEACE
No Hope Of Revolution, Says
Secretary Lansing.
NOT FIGHTING FOR OTHERS
Berlin Government Is Menace to HUI.
man Liberty-Promises Made to
United States to Gain Time.

man Liberty-Promses Made to
United States to Gain Time.
In a speech at Madison Bar.
racks, N. Y, before 1900 members
OF the officers reserve corps, Secretary
OF State Robert Lansing, emphasizing
the peril of German imperialism to the
United States and the world, declared
his belief that the German people
would not cast off the yoke of auto
cracy until the physical might of the
united dcmocracies of the world has
destroyed forever the evil ambitions
Of the military rulers of Germany
That, he added, Is the only way tc
restore the peace Of tho world.
Were every people on earth able
to express their will. there would be
no wars Of aggression" he said, land
II there were no wars of aggression
there would be no wars, ami lasting
peace would come to this earth. The
only way that people can express
their will is through democratic In
situations. Therefore, when the world
Is made safe for democracy, when that
great principle prevails, universal
mo nation Of people will be fit more
than the United States when that time
comes. But 1t has not yet come. A
great people, ruled in thought and
word rs we'll as In deed by the most
sinister government Of modern times
Is straining every nerve to supplant
democracy by the autocracy which
they have been taught to worship
When will the German people awaken
TO the truth? When will they arise In
their might and cast off the yoke and
become their own masters? feal
that 1t will not be until the physical
might OF the united democracies OF
the world have destroyed forever the
evil ambitions Of the military rulers
or Germany and liberty triumphs over
Its arch enemy"
Mr.. Lansing sought to drive home tc
the student officers the righteousness
OF the cause for which they had volun
teered to go to France and fight, as
sorting that America would win "be
cause our cause Is the cause of Justice
and right and Of humanity"
The Immediate cause of our wal
with Germany-the breaking off her
promises as to indisariminate subma
rlne warfare--has a far deeper mean
Ing. he said, "a meaning which has
been growing more evident as the wal
has progressed and which needed but
this act Of perfidy to bring 1t home tc
all thinking Americans. The evil char
acter Of the German government Is laiG
bare before the world. we know now
that that government 10 inspired with
ambitions which menace human liberty
and that to gain It's end 1t does moi
hesitate to break faith, to violate the
most sacred rights, or to perpetrate
intolerable acts on humanity.
ut needed but the words reported tc
have been uttered by the German
chancellor to complete the picture OF
the character Of his government, when
he announced that the only reason why
the intensified submarine campaign
was delayed until February last was
that sufficient submarines could not
be built before that time to make the
attacks on commerce sufficient. DC
you realize that this means, IL 1t means
anything, that the promises to refrain
from brutal submarine warfare, which
Germany had made to the United
States, were never intended to be kept
that they were only made in order tc
gain time In which to build more sub
marines, and that when the time came
to act, the German promises were I'm
hesitatingly torn to pieces like Other
scraps of paper"