The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-12-07
Those Who Counsel
Peace Asked to Take
Advice Elsewhere
PRESIDENT ASKS FOR
WAR ON AUSTRIA
Pre.ident Wilson, in Ringing War
Message to Congress, Asks I'M
mediate Declaration of War
On Austria.

Washington, Dec. 4.-The text OF
President Wilson's war message to
Congress, asking that body to I'M
mediately declare war against Aus
tria-Hungary, follows in full:
Eight months have elapsed since
last had the honor of addressing
you. They have been months crowd
ed with events of immense and
grave significance for US. shall
not undertake to detail or even sum-
marize those events. The practical
particulars of the part we have
played in them will be leid before
ycu in the reports of the executive
departments.
81 shall discuss only our outlook
upon these vast affairs, our present
auties, and the immediate means OF
accomplishing the objects we shall
hold always in view.
81 shall not go back to debate the
causes of the war. The intolerable
wrongs done and planned against
US by the sinister masters of Ger
many have long since become too
grossly obvious to every true Amer
ican to need to be rehearsed.
"But shall ask you to consider
again with a very grave scrutiny
our objectives 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 towards detln-
ite 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.
When Shall We Consider War Won!
"But it is worth while asking and
answering the question, when shall
we consider the war won?
"From one point of view, it is not
necessary to broach this fundamen-
tai matter. I do not doubt that
the American people know what the
war is about and what sort OF an
outcome they will regard as reali-
cation of their purpose in it. .As a
nation we are united in spirit and
intention. 1 pay little heed to those
who tell me otherwise. hear the
voices of dissent-who does not?
hear the criticism and the clamor of
the noisily, thoughtless and trouble
some. also see men here and there
flying themselves in impotent dis
loyalty against the calm, indomit-
able power of tho nation. l hear
men debate peace who understand
neither its nature nor the way in
which we may attain it with up
lifted eyes and unbroken spirits.
"But 1 know that none of these
speak for the nation. They do not
touch the heart of anything. They
may safely be left to strut their un-
easy hour and be forgotten.
"But from another point of view
I believe that it is necessary to say
plainly what we here at the seat of
action consider the var to be for
and what part we mi Fan to play in
the settlement of its searching is
sues. We are the spokesmen of the
American people and they have a
right to know whether their pur-
pose is ours. They desire peace by
the overcoming of evil, by the de-
feat once for all of the sinister
forces that interrupt peace and rem
der it impossible, and they wish to
know how closely our thought runs
with theirs and what action we pro-
pose. They are impatient with
those who desire peace by any sort
of compromise-deeply and indig-
nantly impatient-but they will be
equally impatient with US if we do
fHo,+;n,od m paoe AZ