The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1917-04-05

en- tho Bird of February n on the
10Th of February. Our object now,
az then, is to vindicate the principles
of reace and justice in the life of the
| world against selfish and autocratic
power and to set up among the really
free and self-governed peoples of the
world such a oncert of purpose and
action as will henceforth insure the
observance Of those principles.
Neutrality Not Now Possible.
Neutrality IL no longer feasible or
desirable where the peace Of the
world Is involved and the freedom OF
it's peoples and the menac to that
peace and freedom lies in the exist
ence Of autocratic governments not
backed by the will of their people.
We have seen the last Of neutrality
in such circumstances.
We are at the beginning Of an age
in which it will be insisted hat the
same standards of conduct and OF re-
sponsibility for wrong done shall be
observed among nations and their
governments that are observed among
the individual citizens OF civilized
states.
We have no quarrel with the Ger
man people. We have no feeling to-
ward them but one of sympathy and
friendship. IL was not on their Inn
PhAo0 Aiot NV OWL hAAStt ~
entering this val. 1t was not with
their previous knowledge or approval
The war was determined upon as
wars used to DO determined in the old
unhappy days, when peoples were not
consulted by their rulers and wars
were provoked in the interest of dyn-
asties or little groups of ambitious
men who were accustomed TO use
their fellow men as pawns Inc tools
Galf oN.yrrrtzf nations dn NOT ill
their neighbor states with spies or set
courses of intrigue to bring about
some critical posture of affairs which
will give them q chance to strike and
make conquest.
Such designs can be only worked
under cover and when no one has the
right to ask questions.
Cunningly contrived plans of ag-
erosion carried. it may be. from gen
Grafton to generation, can be worked
out and kept from the light only with
in the privacy of courts or behind the
carefully guarded confidence of a mar
row n privileged class. They are
happily. impossible were public opin-
ion commands and insists upon full
information concerning all the ma
tons affairs.
Concert For Peace.
A stcadfast concert for peace can
GSNcT Dc maj Iolntu tACtpl w a. part
nership of democratic nations. No
~autocratic government could be trust
ed to keep faith in II or IN its cove
nants. 1t must be a league of honor,
q partnership of opinion. Intrigue
would eat it's vitals away; the plott-
ings of inner circles who could plan
what they would and render account
to no one would be a corruption seat
ed at its very heart. Only free peo-
Piles can hold their purpose and their
honor steady TO a common end and
prefer the interest Of mankind to
any narrow interest &C 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
that have been happening within the
last few weeks in Russia?
Russia was known by those WI.
knew it best to ha"s aeen Always in
raet democratic at heart in all the
vital habits OF her thought, in all the
Intimate relationships of her people
that spoke their natural instinct,
their habitual attitude towards life,
The autocracy hat crowded tie
summit of her political structure,
long as it had stood and terrible as
was the reality of the power, was
not III ldCt husSiaH, ana now IL mas
een shaken off and the great. gener-
Gus Russian people have been added
in all their naive majesty and might
to the forces that are fighting for
freedom in the world, for justice and
for peace. Here is n fit partner .for
2 league of honor.
Espionage System Denounced
One Of the things that has served
to convince us that the Prussian au-
tccracy was not and could never be
our friend, is hat from the very out
set of the present war it has filled
our unsuspecting communities and
even our Offices of government with
spies and set criminal intrigues every
where afoot against u national uni
ty of counsel, our peace within and
without, our industries and our com
merce.
Indeed it is now evident hat Its
spies were here even before h war
began and it is. u~nhappily, not a
matter of conjecture. but a fact
proved in our courts of justice that
thu intrigues which have more than
once come perilously near to disturb
ing the peace and ~dislocating the In
dustries of the country have been
carried on at the i~nstigation, with
the support and even under personal
direction of official agents OF the i'm
perial German government. accredit-
ed 20 the government of the United
States.
Even in checking these things and
trying to extirpate them we have
sought to put the most generous in
terpretations possible upon them, be-
cause we Enew that their source lay,
not in any hostile feeling or purposs
of the German people toward ns
Stwho were no doubt as ignorant OF
them as we ourselves were), but on
ly in the selfish designs OF a gov
eminent that did what ii pleased and
told it's people nothing. They have
played their part in serving to con-
vince us at last that the government
entertains no real friendship for us
and means to act against cur peace
and security at its convenience. Thai
1t means to stir up enemies against
us at our very doors the intercepted
note to the German minister at
Mexico City Is eloquent as evidence.
America Accepts Challenge.
We are accepting this challenge OF
hostile purpose because we know that
in such a government, following such
methods, we can have a friend;
and that in h presence of Its or
ganized power, always lying in wal,
to accomplish we know not what
security for the democratic govern
ments of the world.
We are now about to accept the
guage Of battle with this natural foe
to liberty, and shall. IL necessary,
spend the whole force Of the nation
to check and nullify its p~retensions
ox>I ttr DoHror W. nrA p1aA nnxU that