The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-12-07
CONGRESS TO ACT.
WITHOUT DELAY.
Resolution Declaring War on
Austria TO Be Passed al Once.
WILL HEED WILSON'S REQUEST

President In His Message peelares
He Would Not Include Turkey and
Bulgaria In the Declaration, but
Many Members Favor Such Course.
Strong Laws Urged Against Allen
Enemies and Food Sharks.
Washington, Dec. 6.-Existence OF
a state OF war between the United
States and AustriaHungary Is de-
clared in a joint resolution approved
by President Wilson and the depart
ment OF state.
Tne resolution has been unanimous
ly approved by the foreign relations
committee OF the house. It was re-
ported today for beginning OF house
debate tomorrow, with final action IL
the senate late this week or early
next week probable.
Conforming to the presidents rec
concentrations, the resolution applies
to Austria alone. Germany's other
allies, Turkey and Bulgaria, are not
mentioned.
President Wilson appeared before
a joint session of the house and SEN
ate to deliver his message.
To win the war, the president de-
clared, is the immediate and unalter-
able task ahead. He urged congress-
Just beginning its second war session,
to concentrate itself upon 1t. The
president sharply dismissed the pos
sibility Of premature peace, sought by
German intrigue and debated here by
men who understand neither its ma
ture nor the way 1t may be attained.
With victory an accomplished fact
he said, peace will be evolved based
upon mercy and justice"-to enemy
and friend-with hope of a partner
ship Of nations to guarantee future
world peace.
Up to German People.
The war will be deemed won, he
declared, when the German people
say to us, through properly accredit.
ed representatives, that they are
ready to agree to a settlement based
upon justice and reparation Of the
wrongs their rulers have done"
Terms of peace, he added, would
not include dismemberment, robbery
or punishment of the enemy, but
would be based on justice, defined
briefly as follows:
Freedom of nations and their peo-
pies from autocratic domination, rep
aration to Belgium, REIMBURSEMENT OF
German power over the peoples Of
Austria, Turkey the free Balkan
states, as well as evacuation of Prus-
sian territorial conquests in Belgium.
and northern France.
Emphasizing the purpose OF the
United States not to interfere in the
internal affairs of any nation, the
president asserted that no wrong
against the German empire was in
tended and tnat there was no desire
to rearrange the Austro- Hungarian
empire. He said when he spoke eight |
months ago Of the right of nations TO |
free access to the seas he had Aus
tria, as well as the smaller and weak |
CT ndLlOuS, III mlnu.
Austria Only a Tool.
1t was learned that the president |
said that the Austrian declaration |
was advised largely because it might |
be necessary at any time to have |
American soldiers aid Italy. In his
message he declared that Austria
Hungary is for the time being the
tool of the German government.
The president, referring to food
control said: Recent experience
mas convinced me that the congress
must go farther in authorizing the
government to reduce prices The
law of supply and demand, l am sor-
ry to say. has been replaced by the
law of unrestrained selfshness. While
we have eliminated profteering in
several branches Of industry, it runs
impudently rampant in others. Tie
farmers, for example, complain with
a great deal of justice that, while the
regulation of food prices restricts
their incomes, no restraints are
placed upon the prices of most Of the
things they must themselves pur-
chase. And similar inequities obtain
on all ades." The president urged
legislation to fix limits on prices.
On the subject of alien enemies,
President Wilson said that legisla
tion should be enacted defining as a
offense every wilful viola.
ton of the presidential proclamations
relating to alien enemies and women
as we'll as men should be included
under the term sof the acts placing
restraints upon alien enemies. Of.
lenders, he added, should be confined
IN penitentiaries.
Referring to Russia, the president
said; "The Russian people have
been poisoned by the very same false
hoods that have kept the German
people in the dark, and the poison
has been administered by the very
,ame hauds."