The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-10-12

Inc SpOTaulC dCllNlIics VI q iS"
agitators who, led by good or oad
motives, seek to hamper our work
in the war justify me as the CHER
law officer Of the executive branch OF
the government in calling attention
to the duties, moral and legal, of all
persons owing temporary or perman-
ent allegiance to the United States
The German government began this
war by a contemptuous breach OF its
formally plighted faith made in sol
emn treaty and from the beginning
until now has more than made good
this ominous earnest of its intention
and temper. The president has
shown US how one by one, as o2por-
tunity offered, the safeguards which
civilization has been able during the
centuries to throw around neutrals
and the nonfighting people OF warning
nations were ruthlessly torn down;
how patient and long suffering re-
monstrance and request were met by
fair words, and fairer promises made
only to be broken.
We all know as but sober fact,
plaintly stated, that the imperial gov
eminent has allowed no rule OF war,
no principle of civilization, no con-
sideration of humanity, no teaching
of christianity to stand between 1t
and the working out OF its illegal pur-
poses. For half century that gov
eminent has schemed and prepared
to dominate the world by blood and
IRON For half century the Of
ficials of the imperial government,
from the kaiser down, including even
the teachers of their children, have
prostituted the minds of their youth
-. IL hac
to liberation, if not approval, OF the
hideous outrages and barbarities
practiced by that government in this
war. While yet we were neutral,
struggling to keep free from the con-
flict, the representatives Of that gov
eminent in this country planned to
destroy our factories and our rail-
roads, forged our public papers, de-
ceived us when convenient, violated
our hospitality and our sovereignty,
while they plotted against our terri
torial integrity; they deliberately
and with malice and affronting fore
warning drowned our helpless won-
en- and babes and declared a public
holiday that their own innocent chill
dren might celebrate the murder
They have bombarded unfortified
towns and bombed the unprotected
homes of their foes, taking their toll
Of wounded and dead from the aged
and infir1n, the young and the help
less. They have made barren desert
of the garden spots of the earth;
they have needlessly pillaged and
willfully burned towns; they have re-
duced to slavery men, women and
children; they have wrecked and torn
asunder families with a system dfabol-
icaI in it's efficiency; they have want
only defiled and destroyed the temp
les of God They have done all OF
these things that they might strike
terror into the hearts of men so as
more easily to conquer and RUE
them.
AS the war has gone on, the ulti-
mate aim of the imperial government
has become more and more clear.
Drunk with the sense of its own pow
er and it's asserted superiority, IL
has proposed to secure dominating
position for itself and for it's system
over the entire world. Nowhere yleld-
ing to the people their rightful pow
ers and everywhere seeking to up
hold it's intention to perpetuate aD-
solute government of which it adj
mittedly is the head and front. It's
"kultur" is avowed to be the acme
of human goodness and endeavor, and
is to boast the rulership of the world,
gained by force and arms.
The world must fight to preserve
itself. Of this there can be no doubt.
Heretofore. save in rare cases, war
has been a fight between armies; Dut
this war. because of the initial prep
aration for it by an autocracy which
nrostituted a whole mighty nation to
| its purpose, is a contest between peo-
pies themselves. 1t is corresponding
" intense and relentless. The march
of events shows that it is now war
of systems-kings against peoples.
II our enemy win, kings will donln
ate the world, because no democracy
fights with or for them. The Prus-
sian autocrat and the brutal Turk
will impose upon us their wills, tell
us what we may do, what we may
not do, and the horrors and atrocities
Of Belgium and Armenia leave no
doubt what this means. Government
of the people, by the people, and for
the people will perish from the
earth" In this sense this is truly a
war of absolute and complete ex-
termination not of peoples, but OF
systems. and so far as human sight
can pierce lHe lululS liiS iiiC Va ciiS
system or the other waits on the re-
suit.
Thus our own very life came to De
bound UP in the outcome of this war
long before we entered it, and even
wears before the war broke. To the
man of vision it is as clear as sun
light that the aim and the plan OF
the imperial government was and Is
to conquer the world, nation by ma
ton. 1t was first to defeat France
and Russia. next to dominate Great
Britain, and with Europe at its feet
to turn to America. "Kultur' and
the German sword were to rule around
the world. we have been thus fore
ed by the imperial government itself
to choose whether, in addition to
suffering outrage and plumber, we
should calmly wait to be crushed our
selves in due time and at the pleas.
ure of the royal will, or should make
common cause with those who al
ready fought for us as well as for
themselves, to the end that autocratic
domination over all mankind should