The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-04-13
Wants Nation to Help the
Entente Allies Whip
Kaiser.
AUT0CRAcY WORLD MENACE
America Enters the Struggle to
Aid in Saving Freedom for
Democracies.

WaShingtOn.-In hat has been de-
scribed on all sides as one Of the great
state papers of American history.
President Wilson addressed the senate
and house in joint session Monday
night and asked for a declaration Of a
state of war with Germany.
He based his assertions that the
kaiser's government is already con-
Quoting hostilities against the United
States on Germany's unrestricted sub
marine warfare, on the widespread and
destructive German spy system in this
country-which has destroyed prop
erty and sought to intrigue Mexico and
Japan against us-and on the bloody
ambition Of Prusslan autocracy to do
inmate the world Of self-goyerning
peoples.
And to the end that this autocratic
power may be defeated and the safety
of peace-loving nations assured, Mr..
Wilson called upon congress to EN-
ploy all the of the United
States to whip Germany. He urged
entire cooperation with the entente
allies with men, money and supplies.
and he recommended the recruiting of
the regular army and National Guard
to more than half a million and the
raising of an additional 100000 mill
tary force by applying a uniyer-
sal service law.
Most notable in the presidents adj
dress was the section devoted to an
indictment of Prussian autocracy and
professional militarism. He said:
Our object now is to vindicate the
principles of peace and of justice in
the life of the world as against selfish
and autocratic power and to set up
amongst the really free and self-gov-
erned peoples of the world such a con
cert of purpose and Of action as will
henceforth insure the observance OF
those principles.
Neutrality Not Feasible.
Neutrality is no longer feasible Oh
desirable when the peace of the world
is involved and the freedom of it.
peoples, and the menace to that peace
and freedom lies in the existence of au
tocratic governments backed by organ
ICED force which is controlled who'll,
: by their will, not by the viii of thei
people. We have seer the last of neu
: trality in such circumstances.
We are at the beginning of an ag
: In which it will be insisted that tn
| same standards of conduct and Of re
sponsibility for wrong done shall be OBJ
served among nations and their gov
ernments that are observed among tn
= a. 10. L. ssTs-%z zA.N-,
: No Quarrel With People.
We have no quarrel with the German
: people. We have no feeling towart
them but one Of sympathy and friend
ship. 1t was not upon their impuls,
that their government acted in enter
ing this war. 1t was not with theil
; previous knowledge or approval.
1t was war determined upon as war
! used to be determined on in the old
: unhappy days when peoples were no
, where consulted by their rulers ant
wars were provoked and waged in tn,
interest of dynasties or of little group
of ambitious men who were aceustomel
to use their fellow men as pawns AM
: tools.
A steadfast concert for peace ca
never be maintained except by a part
nership of democratic nations. No at
tocratic government could be trusted [
keep faith within it or observe its COY
enants. 1t must be a league of homo
partnership of opinion.
Only free peoples can hold thei
purpose and their honor steady to
common end and prefer the interest
of mankind to any narrow interest {
their own
Does not every American feel tbs
assurance has been added to OF
hope for the future peace of tn
world by the wonderful and heartel
ng things that have been happenin
within the last few weeks in Russia
Intrigued Against National Unity.
One of the things that have serve
to convince us that the Prussian a
toeracy was not and could never
our friend Is that from the very outs,
of the present war it has filled u u
suspecting communities and wen oil
offices of government with spies ar
set criminal intrigues everywhere afo,
dSdAnSt Jul h0NAOhdA UNITY VI NNNhSN
. our peace within and without, our /
J dustries and our commerce.
Indeed, 1t is now evident that l
|, spies were here even before the WI
|. began j; and it is u%nhappily not a ma
ter of conjecture, but a fact prove
I in our courts of justice that the /
/ trigues which have more than on
. come perilously near to disturbing II
peace and dislocating the industries
the country have been carried on
/ the instigation, with the support, al
. even under the personal direction
official agents of the imperial Cover
] ment accredited to the government
4 the United States.
: Would Act at Convenience.
But they have played their part
A serving TO convince US at last that Il
government entertains no real frien