Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-12-14

"And I beg that the members of the
house of representatives will permit
me to express the opinion that it will
be impossible to deal in any but very
wasteful and eXtravagant fashion with
the enormous appropriations of the
public moneys which must continue to
be made, if the war is to be properly
sustained, unless the house will con-
sent to return to its former practice
of initiating and preparing all appro-
priation bills through a single commit
tee, in order that responsibility NAV
be centered, expenditures standardized
and made uniform and waste and du-
plication as much as possible avoided.
additional legislation may also be-
| come necessary before the present con-
| gresS again adjourns in order to effect
| the most efficient coordination and on
Grafton of the railway and other trans
portation systems of the country; but
to that I shall, if circumstances should
demand, call the attention of the con-
gress upon another occasion.
Concentrate on Winning War.
eff l have overlooked anything that
ought to be done for the more effective
conduct of the war, your own counsels
will supply the omission. What I am
perfectly clear about is that in the
present session of the congress our
whole attention and energy should be
concentrated on the vigorous, rapid
and successful prosecution of the great
task of winning the war.
eve can do this with all the greater
zeal and enthusiasm because we know
that for US this as war of high prin-
ciple, debased by no selfish ambition
of conquest or spoliation because we
know, and all the world knows, that
we have been forced into it to save the
very institutions we live under from
corruption and destruction. The pur-
poses of the central powers strike
straight at the very heart of every.
thing we believe in; their methods OF
warfare outrage every principle Of hu
manity and Of knfghtly honor; thefl
intrigue has corrupted the very
thought and spirit of many of oul
people; their sinister and secret diplo
macy has sought to take our very ter
ritory away from US and disrupt t1'
} union of the states. Our safety woult
: be at an end, our honor forever sullieC
; and brought into contempt were we t.
; permit their triumph. They are strik
ing at the very existence of democrac.
} and liberty.
Cause Is Just and Holy.
''It is because it is for us. war o
high, disinterested purpose, in whicI
all the free peoples of the world ar
banded together for the vindication o
right, a war for the preservation of ou
nation, and of all that it has held dea
of principle and Of purpose, that W
felt ourselves doubly constrained t
l purpose for it's outcome only tha
i which is righteous and of irreproacf
l able intention, for our foes as we'll a
L for our friends. The cause being jus
and holy, the settlement must be @
4 u like motive and quality. For this W
l can fight, but for nothing less nobl
or less worthy of our traditions. FO
: this cause we entered the war and fo
this cause will we battle until the las
:, gun is fired.
= 'I have spoken plainly, because thi
seems to me the time when it is mos
:, necessary to speak plainly, in orde
that all the world ray know that eve
in the heat and ardOr of the struggl
and when our whole thought is {
: carrying the war through to its en-
:, we have not forgotten any ideal {
- principle for which the name of Anne
4 lea has been held in honor among tt
- nations and for which it has been oil
- glory to contend in the great gener
= tions that went before US. A supren
- moment of history has come. tt
- eyes of the people have been opene
- and they see. The hand of God is la
>. upon the nations. He will show the
= favor, 1 devoutly believe, only if thu
- rise to the clear heights of his ON
= justice and mercy"