Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1917-06-15
THE WORLD ISSUE.

Read again the ringing words of the address
recently delivered by Secretary of the Interior
Franklin r. Lane, man of our West
We fight with the world for an honest
world, in which nations keep their word
for world in which nations do not live by
swagger or by threat for world in which
men think of the ways in which they can
conquer the common cruelties of nature in
stead of nventing more horrible cruelties to
inflict upon the spirit and body of man; for
world in which the ambition of few shall
not make miserable all mankind; for world
in which the man is held more precious than
the machine, the system or the state.
That is the world issue, the outstanding issue,
the issue that clamors for decision in this great
est conflict of all the ages. We are fighting, not
because we were anxious for fight, not because
we seek material or territorial gain, not because
we dream Of world conquest and domination, but
because the chief advocates of the doctrine
that the people shall have voice in their own
government, as champions before the world Of
the privilege of individual liberty and ambition
~ apostles of democracy, we saw that we must
stop and stop forever the rush of autocracy, the
unloosed passion Of militarism
At stake in this world war now-and the Amer
lean people are coming to realize it more and
more-is democracy. It matters not what may
have started the great conflict or the motives Of
those on the one side or the other; the develop
ments Of the past three years. of the past six
months, have proved the issue: whether democ-
racy shall live and flourish or whether autocracy
shall rule the world
It transcends all other questions, all other
insuea al other matters Of the moment, and de-
nands that every energy Of our government
every energy Of each one of u.s. shall be directed
= achieving the decision Faults there may be
n our own government, our own administration
Of orr AFFAIRS our own economic and civil sys-
tenn, but these are as nothing in the face of the
great world question. That we must solve and
solve now, and though all the while working to
make our own government better, to eradicate
the evils in our own economic system, We must
not let them stand in the way of giving the full
EFT support and assistance to our government in
this the greatest crisis in America s history
well as the history Of the world
The world must be made safe for democracy"
President Wilson declared in his war message,
declaration that has been cheered around the
world. This is war against an old spirit, an
ancient, out-worn spirit" Secretary Lane re-
affirmed the other day. 1T is war against
feudalism-the right Of the castle on the hill to
rule the village below. It is war for democ-
racy-the right of all to be their own masters"
Il is a war to free the world as we set ourselves
free in '76 and again in IL, 81 to '65 and '9s.
II is q war which will determine the future des-
tiny of the world and its peoples, whether they
shall live and work and govern themselves ac-
cording to their own desires or whether antoc-
racy shall rule the world and the Juggernaut of
Prussian militarism shall subdue all nations.
1t is war for you and for me and the liberty
We love-