Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-09-22
Lesson No. %.
WHY WE FIGHT.

Every American knows the causes
Of our war with the German Govern
ment. Yet this course would be in
complete if it did not contain 4 briei
review of the events that finally fore
ed us into war. when AT last there re-
manned no other means of defend
ing our rights
The soldier of an autoCratic Kaiser
may fight best when he understands
least OF the true meaning of the war
/ To tell him the facts would be to chill
! his enthusiasm. But the citizen sol
/ der OF democracy is entitled to
know for what purposes he enters the
struggle. He fights best when he sees
most clearly why he fights.
The resolution of Congress declar.
ing state of war april g. 1910 ex-
presses the immediate cause in these
ew words:
The Imperial German Government
has committed repeated acts of war
against the Government and the PEG.
pie of the United States of America.
Chief among the acts of war were
attacks by German submarines on
American ships and on unarmed mer-
chant ships of other nations carrying
American passengers. Vessels of
every" said the President n his adj
dress to Congress on April 2, 1917,
whatever their flag their character
their cargo, their destination, their err
rand, have been ruthlessly sent TO the
bottom without any warning and with,
out thought of help or mercy for those
along with those of belIigerents. Even
hospital ships and and ships carrying
relief to the sorely bereayed and
stricken people of Belgium, though the
latter were provided with safe con
duct through the prescribed areas by
the German Government itself and
we're distinguished by unmistakable
marks of identity have been sunk
with the same reckless lack of com.
passion or of principle The
present German submarine warfare
against mankind"
German Insults and Aggressions.
There We're other acts of hostility
in addition to the submarine warfare.
In his Flag Day address delivered at
Washington on June II, 1917, the Pres
ident summed upthe events that
brought on war as follows:
1T is plain enough how we were
forced into the war The extraordin-
airy insults and aggressions of the I'm
perial German Government left us no
selfrespecting choice but to take up
arms in defense of our rights ms q
free people and of our honor as SOW
masters Of Germany denied us the
right to be neutral They filed our
communities with vic
ious spies and consprators and sough
to corrupt the opinion of our people |
in their own behalf When they found
that they could not do that, their
agents diligently spread sedition
amongst US and sought to draw our
own citizens away from their alleci- |
ance-and some of those agents were
men connected with the official EN-
bassy of the German Government It. |
ell here IN our Capital. They sought |
by violence to destroy our industries
anu arrest our commerce They tried |
10 incite Mexico to take M arffts
against us and TO draw Japan into
a hostile alliance with her-and that, |
not by ndireCtion, but by suggestion
from the foreign office In Berlin They
lmpudently denied us the use of the
nigh seas and repeatedly execut "a
their threat that theywould send to
their death any of our people who ven.
tured to approach the coasts Of Eur
ope.",
Our Liberty and Safety Involved.
Yet even this list of "extraordinar,
insults and aggressions" does not tell
the whole story. Our motives for wal
20 even deeper Not only our rights
ana selfrespect, but our liberty and
safety, are involved. Speaking on |
July -, 1917 at the officers training
camp at Madison Barracks, n Y. the
secretary OF state said:
The evil character of the Geru An
Government Is laid bare before the
world We know now that that gov
which menace human liberty, and thu
10 gain its ends It does not hesitate
TO break faith, to violate the most sa.
cred rights or to perpetrate intoler.
able acts of inhumanity Let
Us understand once for all that TIT;
no war to establish an abstract prin
cple of right. II IL war in which
the future Of the United tSates Is nj
stake"
The record on, of which grows orr
deep conviction that II Is necessary n,
once to put curb on so powerful and
an enemy is set forth
IN an official publication How the
tf,4.