Mexico Missouri message., 1917-12-20
WILSON DEMANDS
WAR ON AUSTRIA
President Declares Our Sole OBJ
iect Now Is to Win
the War.
UNITED TO GAIN VICTORY
Every Resource Of the Nation Must
Be co-ordinated In the One object
70 Pursue the War to Ultimate
and Complete Victory.


Washington, Dec 4.-President Will
BON IN his message to congress pledged
America to war TO victory and asked
that Hungary be listed among
Americas enemies to remove this "em-
barrassing obstacle that stands In our
way" The message follows:
Gentlemen OF the Congress-Elght
months have elapsed since / last had
the honor of addressing you. They
have been months crowded with events
Of immense and grave significance for
us. shall undertake to detail or even
to summarize these events. The prac-
deal particulars Of the part we have
played in them will be laid before you
In the reports Of the executive depart
ments. shall discuss only our pres
ent outlook upon these vast affairs,
our present duties, and the immediate
means Of accomplishing the objects
we shall hold always In view.
II shall not go back to debate the
causes of the war. The intolerable
wrongs done and planned against us
have long since become too grossly
obvious and Odious to every true Amer
lean to need to be rehearsed. But /
shall ask you to consider again and
with a very grave scrutiny our objec-
dves and the measures by which we
mean TO attain them; for the purpose
of discussion here in this place is ac-
ton, and our action must move
straight towards definite ends.
Must Win the War.
"Our object Is, of course, to win the
war; and we shall not sIacken or suf-
fer ourselves to be diverted until 1t Is
won. But 1t Is worth while asking and
answering the question: When shall
we consider the war won?
From one point OF view 1t Is not
necessary to broach this fundamental
matter. l do not doubt that the Amer
lean people know what the war is
about and what sort of an outcome
they will regard as a realization of
their purpose in II. As a nation we
are united in spirit and intention. I
pay little heed to those who tell me
otherwise. l hear the voices Of dis
oent-who does not7 hear the criti-
'cism and the Glamour OF the noisy,
thoughtlesS and troublesome. also
See men here and there fling them
selves In impOtent dlsloyalty against
the calm, indomltable power of the ma
hon. hear men debate peace who
understand neither its nature nor the
way In which We obtain II with uplift-
ed eyes and unbroken spirits. But |
known 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.
No Peace by Compromise.
( "But from another point Of view I |
believe that it is necessary to say
plainly what we here at the seat of ac- |
lion consider the war to be for and |
what part we mean to play in the set
Element Of its searchin; issues.
I'VE are the spokesmen of the Amer
tcan people, and they have a right to
know whether their purpose is ours.
They desire peace By the overcoming
OF evil, by the defeat once for all of
the sinister forces that interrupt
peace and render ii impossible, and
they wish to know how closely our
thought runs with theirs, and what nc
ton we propose. They are impatient
with those who desire peace by any
sort of compromise-deeply and indig-
nanty impatient-hut they will be
equally impatient with us if we do not
make 1t plain to them what our OBJ
3ectves are and what we are planning
for in seeking to make conquest of
peace by arms.
Menace Must Be Crushed.
81 believe that I speak for them
when say two things: First, that
this intolerable thing OF which the
masters Of Germany have shown us
the ugly face, this menace Of COM
bined intrigue and force which we now |
see SO clearly as the German power.
q Thing without conscience or honor
or capacity for cOvenanted peace, must |
De crushed and, If it is not utterly |
Brought to an end, at least shut out |
from the friendly intercourse of the |
nations; and, second, when this Thing
and It's power are indeed defeated and
the tisoe comes that we can discuss
peace-when the German people have
Spokesnen whose words we can be-
lteve and when those spokesmen are
ready In the name of their people to
accept the common judgment of
the nations as to what shall hence
forth be the bases of law and of COW |