The Pulaskian., 1917-11-09


 plans of deception or aggression, car
 rfed, 1t may be from generation to gen. eration, be worked out ma kep1
 from the light only within the privacy | of courts or behind the carefully guard 1 ed condolences of . narrow and privi-
 legged class. They nre happily impossi- l bIe where public opinion commands and
 insists upon full information concern
 ing a1l the nntion'E affairs.
 4 steadfasf concert for peace cnn
 never be maintained except by a part
 nership of democratic nations. No au-
 tocratic government could be trusted
 to keep faith within it observe its
 covenants. It must be league of
 honor, a partnership of opinion. ln- I trIgue would eat its vftals awayi the 1 pIottings of inner circles who could
 plan what they would, and render ac-
 count to no one, would be corruption seated at It's very heart. Only free peo- l pie can hold their purpose and their honor steady to common end, ana
 prefer the interest of mankind to any
 narrow interest of their own.
 Does not every American feel that | assurance has been added to our hope | for the future peace of the world by | the wonderful and heartening things l that have been happening within the l last few weeks in Russia? Russia was l known by those who knew her best l to have been always in fact democratic
 
 thought, in all the intimate relation | ships of her people that spoke their | natural instinct, their habituai attitude 1 toward life. The autOcracy that crown l ed the summit of her political struc- | ture. long as it had stood and terrible l as was the reality of its power was | not in fact Russian In origin, charac- ter, or purpose, and now it has been shaken off and the great generous RuS-
 sian people have been added, In ali
 their native majesty and might, to the forces thnt fighting for freedom Tn the world, for justice, and for peace. Here is a fit partner for league or honor.
 One of the things that have served
 to convince us that the Prussian auto eracy was not and could never be our
 friend is that from the very outset OH the present war It has filled our un-
 auspecting communities. and even our
 offices of government, with spies nnd
 set criminal intrie,ues everywhere afOot against our national unity of counsel, our peace within and without, our fn- dustrIes, and our commerce. Indeed 1t is now evident that its spies were here
 even before the war began and 1t Is unhappiIy not matter of conjecture,
 but fact proven in our courts of jus- tfce, that the intrigues which have
 more than once come perilousiy near TO
 disturbing the peace and dislocatins
 the industries of the country. have been carried on mt the instigatiOn, with the
 support, and even under the personal directions of official agents of the Inn perfaI government accredited to the government of the United States.
 Even in checking these things and trying to extirpate them have
 sought to put the most generous inter
 pretatfon possible upon them, because
 we knew that their source lay not in nf hR
 German people toward HIS (whO were, no doubt, as ignorant of them we
 ourselves were), but only in the selfish designs of a government that did what
 it pleased and told it's people nothing.
 But they have played their part iR serv- ing to convince at last that that
 government enterteins real friend ship for us and means to act against
 our peace and security at It's convent l enee. That 1t means to stir up enemies against HIS at our very doors, the fn- tereepted note to the German minister at Mexico City Is eloquent evidence. We are accepting this challenge of hostile purpose because we know that fin such n government, following such
 methods, can never have friend, and that in the presence of Its organ
 ized power, 6lFvays lying in wait to accomplish we know not what pur-
 pose, there cnn be assured security
 
 world We are now about to accept the gage of battle with the natural foe to liberty and shall, if necessary, spend l the whole force of the nation to check and nullify it's pretensions and its pow CT We are glad now that the
 facts with no veil of false pretense
 about them, to fight thus for the ulti-
 mate peace of the world and for the | liberation of it's peoples, the German l peoples included; for the rights of na- | tions, great and small, and the privi-
 Iege of men everywhere to choose their
 way of life and of obedience.
 l The world must be made safe for l democracy. It's peace must be planted
 upon the tested foundations of political 1 liberty. We have no selfish ends to | serve We desire no conquests, no | dominion. We seek no indemnfties for 1 ourselves, material compensation
 for the sacrifices we shall freely make. 1 We are but one of the champions of
 the rights of mankind. We shall be
 satisfied when those rights have been made as secure as the faith and the
 freedom of nations make them.
 Just because we fight without rancor and without selfish object, seeking
 nothing for ourselves but what we shall wish to share with all free people we l shall. feel confident, conduct our oper- ations as belligerents without passion l and ourselves observe with proud pune
 tilio the principles of right and of fair | play we profess to be fighting for.
 I have said nothing of the govern l ments allied with the Imperial gov ernment of Germany because they have not made war upon us or challenged us to defend right and our honor. 1 The AustrO- Hungarian government has.
 indeed, avOwed its unqualified indorse-
 ment md acceptance of the reckless
 md IaXvIess submarine warfare. adopt ed now without disguise by the Imper-
 iaI German government. and 1t has 1 therefore not been possible for this
 government to receive Count Tarnow- l ski. the ambassador recently accredited
 to this government by the Imperial and | Royal government of Austria-Hungary; | but that government has not actually | engaged in warfare against citizens of | the United States the seas, and I l take the liberty, for the present at
 least, of postponing discussion of our | relations with the authorities at Nt- | enna. We enter this only where l we are clearly forced into 1t because nf daf frexP