Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-12-20

Declaration Of War on
Austria Hungary.
Washington. Dec. 4.-President VIII
son In his message to congress today
declared emphatically for q peace has
ed on generosity and justice after Ger
mar autOcracy "shall 1rst be shown
the utter futility of its claims to
power or leadership In the modern
world"
The message follows:
"Gentlemen Of the Congress-Eight
months have elapsed since I last had
the honor Of addressing you. They
have been months crowded with events
OF immense and grave significance for
IN. I shall undertake to detail or v
to summarize these events. The prac-
teal particulars Of the part We have
played In them will be laid before you
in the reports of the executive depart
hnents. I shall discuss only our pres
ent outlook upon these vast affairs,
Il present duties, and the immediate
mean of accomplishing the objects
We shall hold always. In view.
II shall not so back to debate the
causes of the war. The intolerable
wrongs done aud planned against US
by the sinister masters Of Germany
have long since become too grossly
obvious and odious to every true Amer
lean to need to be rehearsed. But
shall nsk you to consider again and
with a very grave scrutiny our objec-
tives 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 slacken or suf'
fer ourselves to be diverted until 1t is
0 But 1t is worth while asking and
answering the question: When shall
we consider the war WONT
"Froin one point Of view 1t Is moi
necessary to breach this Fundamental
matter. | 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 O.
their purpose in it. AS a nation WI
are united in spirit and intention.
pay little heed to those who tell nj
otherwise. I hear the voices Of dis
sent-who does not! l hear the criti
cism and the Glamour of the noisy
thoughtless and troublesome. l als'
see men here and there fling them
selves in impotent d~isloyalty agains
the calm, indomitable power Of the ma
ton. l hear men debate peace VIII
understand neither its nature o tn
way In which We obtain 1t with uplift
ed eyes and unbroken spirits. But
known that n Of these speaks TO
the nation. They do not touch tn
heart Of anything. They may safel
be left to strut their uneasy hour an
be forgotten.
No Peace by Compromise.
"But from another point Of view
believe that 1t is necessary to sa,
blainly what we here ut the seat of nc
ton consider the war to be for an
what part We ean to play In the SET
Element of It's searching Issues.
I'VE are the spokesman Of the Amer
lean people, and they have a right t
know whether their purpose Is ours
They desire peace by the overcomin
Of evil, by the defeat once for oil Q
the sinister forces that interrup
peace and render It impossible, an
they wish to know how closely gu
thought runs with theirs. and what az
ton we propose. They are impntien
with those who desire peace by an
sort Of compromise-deeply and lndii
uantly impntient-but they will b
equally impatient with us II we do M
make 1t plain to them what our Of
1ectives are and what we are plannin
for In seeking to make conquest {
peace by arms.
Menace Must Be Crushed.
II believe that I speak for the'
when I say two things: First, thu
this intolerable thing Of which tt
masters Of Germany have shown ,
the ugly fnce, this menac Of con
blned intrigue and force which we no
zee 80 clearly as the German powe
a Thing without conscience or hone
or capacity for c%ovenanted peace. mu
BE- crushed and. II It Is not utter
brought to an end. at least shut o,
from the friendly Intercourse OF Il
nations; and. second, when this Thir
and It's power are indeed defeated nj
the time comes that we can dlscu
peace--when the German people ha'
~spokesmen whose words we can b
iieve and when those spokesman a
ready In the name Of their people
accept the common judgment
the nations AZ to what shall henc
forth be the bases Of INV and Of CO
enant for the life Of tho world,
shall be willing md glad to pny d
full price for peace, and pay It u
l--s. Hts~ 1,nnss, ,,,e.~A AA.-A -