The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1917-12-14
MUST WAR ON AUSTRIA
SAYS PRESIDENT IN HIS
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS

Washington, Dec. THE presiden
spoke follows:
Gentlemen of the congress:
Eight months have elapsed since I las
had the honor of addressing you. They
have been months crowded with events Of
immense and grave significance for us
/ shall not undertake to detail even
to summarize these events. The practi-
cal particulars of the part we have played
in them will be laid before you in the
reports of the executive departments and
/ shall discuss only our present outlook
upon these vast affairs. our present duties
and the immediate means of accomplish
ing the objects we shall hold always in
view.
Causes Are Obvious.
l 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 longe since be-
come too grossly obvious and odious to
every true American to need to be re-
hearsed. But 1 shall ask you to consider
again and with a 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 to-
wards definite ends. Our object is, of
course, to win the war, and we shall not
slacken or suffer 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?
Nation is Upifted.
From one point of view it is not neces-
sary 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
nation we are united in spirit and inten-
ton l pay little heed to those who tell
me otherwise. l hear the voices of dis
sent--who does not? 1 hear the criti-
cism and see the clamor of the noisily
thoughtless and troublesome. l also see
men here and there fling themselves in
potent disloyalty against the calm. in
donitable power of the nation. / hear
men debate peace who understand neither
fits nature nor the way in which we may
attain it with uplifted eyes and unbroken
spirits. But / know that none of these
speaks for the nation. They do not touch
the heart of anything. They may safely
be left to strut their uneasy hour and
be forgotten.
Are Spokesman.
But from another point of view I be- /
lieve that it is necessary to say plainly /
what we here at the seat of action con- /
slider the war to be for and what part /
we mean to play in the settlement of its T
searching issues. We are the spokes
men of the American people, and they
have right to know whether their pur-
pose is ours. They desire by the over
coming of evil, by the defeat once for
all of the sinister forces that interrupt
peace and render it impossible and those
wish to know how closely our thoughts
run with theirs and what action we pro-
pose. They are impatient with those who
desire peace by any sort of compromise
deeply and Indignantly impatient. but
w he wit |
we do not make it plain to them what
our detectives are and what we are plan
ming for in seeking to make conquest of
peace by arms.
Must Crush Menace.
I believe that I speak for them when ]
say two things: First, that this intoler
abln thing of which t,,e masters of Ger
many have shown us the ugly face. this !
of combined intrigue and force
which we now see so clearly as the Ger :
man power, a thing without conscience
Or honor or capacity for coVenanted peace.
must be crushed and if it is not utterly :
brought to an end, at least shut out from :
the friendly intercourse of the nations
and second, that when this thing and its /;
power are indeed defeated and the time :
comes that we can discuss peace-when +
the German people have spokesman
whose word we can believe, and when
these spokesman are ready in the name =
r
Judgment of the nations as to what shall b
lenceforth be the bases of law and of t,
covenant for the life of the world-we o
,hall be willing and glad to pay the full p
price for peace. and pay it ungrudgingly. 0
We know what that price will be. 1t f.
will be full, impartial justce-justice n
lone at every point and to every nation D
he final settlement must affect our enc e
MES as well as our friends. II
''Voice of Humanity"
You catch, with me- the voices of hui ".
nanity that are in the air They grow ~
aily more audible. more articulate, more 81
persuasive and they come from the hearts di
t men everywhere. They insist that the tt
var shall not end in vindctive action of &C
ny kind: that no nation people shall
e robbed or punished because the ire
ponsible rulers of single country have ri
themselves done deep and abominable nG
,rong. 1t is this thought that has been m
Expressed in the formula mo annexa- m
ons no contributions. no indemnities" pc
ust because this crude formula expresses as
ne instructive judgment as to right of ~
lain men everywhere, it has been made nv
iligent use of by the masters of the in
erman intrigue to lead the people of go
ussia astray-and the people of every at
Their country their agents could reach, Isl
order that a premature peace might f
e brought about before autocracy has ~
cen taught it's final and convincing les 10,
IN and the people of the world put in st;
,ntrol of their own destinies all
Turn to Right Use. If
But the fact that a wrong use has been VI u
ade of just idea is no reason why ne ne
ght use should not be made of it. 1t I'm
lght to be brought under the patronage ca
its real friends. Let it be said again ed
at autocracy must first be shown the oil
ter futility of its claims to power and IN
in the modern world. 1t is 81, 81
possible to apply any standard of justice til,
long as such forces unchecked and Blu
defeated as the present masters of wi
srmany command. Not until that has thu
EN- done can right be set up as arbiter Oh OF.
i'd peacemaker among the nations But W.
nen that has been done, as God willing,
assuredly will be--we shall at last be III,
ee to do an unprecedented thing and wa
is is the time to avow purposes to thu
it, We shall be free to base peace on GU
nerosity and justice, to the exclusion ths
all selfish claims to advantage even 80,
the part of the victors. las
To Win War. The
,et there be no misunderstanding. Our mo
esent and Immediate task is to win the be-
lr and nothing shall turn us aside from sae
until it is accomplished. Every power ~,
d resource we possess, whether of men, me
MONEY or materials is being devoted eia