The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-12-14
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
to Pursue the War to Ultimate
and Complete Victory.


Washington, Dec. 4.-President will
son in his message to congress pledged
America to war to victory and asked
that Austria Hungary be listed among
Americas enemies to remove this 'em-
barrassing obstacle that stands in our
way" The message follows:
Gentlemen of the Congress-E
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-
teal particulars of the part we have
played in them will be laid before you
in the reports of the executive depart
ments. l shall discuss only our pres
ent outlook upon these vast affairs,
our present duties, ard the immediate
means of accomplishing the objects
we shall hold always In view.
Il shall not go back to debate the
causes of the war. The intolerable
wrongs done and 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 ask you to consider again and
with very grave scrutiny our objec-
tiyes 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 it is
won. But 1t 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 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 realization of
their purpose in 1T. AS nation we
are united in spirit and intention.
pay little heed to those who tell me
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. ! also
see men here and there fling them.
selves in impotent disloyalty against
the calm, indomitable power of the ma
ton. I hear men debate peace who
understand neither its nature nor the
way in which we obtain it with uplift
ed eyes and unbroken spirits. But
known that none of these speaks fol
the nation. They do nSC touch the
heart of anything. They may safely
be left to strut their uneasy hour an(
be forgotten.
No Peace by Compromise.
"But from another point of view
believe that it is necessary to say
plainly what we here at the seat of &C
ton consider the war to be for anG
what part we mean to play in the set
Element of it's searching issues.
"We are the spokesman of the Amer
lean people, and they have right tt
know whether their purpose Is ours
They desire peace by the overcoming
of evil, by the defeat once for all o
the sinister forces that Interrupt
peace and render it impossible, ant
they wish to know how closely on
thought runs with theirs, and what &C
ton we propose. They are impatien
with those who desire peace by an,
sort of compromise-deeply and indig
nantly impatient-but they will b
equally impatient with us if we do no
make it plain to them what our OF
jectives are and what we are plannin
for in seeking to make conquest o
peace by arms.
Menace Must Be Crushed.
ST believe that / speak for ther
when l say two things: First, tina
masters of Germany have shown u
the ugly face, this menace of con
bined intrigue and force which we no.
see so clearly as the German powe
Thing without conscience or homo
or capacity for covenanted peace, mus
be crushed and, if it is not utterl
brought to an end, at least shut OF
from the friendly intercourse of til
nations; and, second, when this Thin
and its power are indeed defeated an
the time comes that we can discus
peace-when the German people hay
Spokesman whose words we can b
lieve and when those spokesman al
ready in the name of their people I
accept the common judgment I
the nations as to what shall henc
forth be the bases of law and of co