The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1917-11-08


10 ask questions. Cunningly cOntrived
plans of deception or aggression, car
ried, IL may he from generation 10 gen
Grafton, can he worked out and kept
from the light only within the privacy
of courts or behind the carefully guard
ed condolences of narrow and prlvi-
legged class. They are happily impOssi-
BILE where public opinion commands and
insists upon full information concern
Ing all the nations affairs.
stendfast concert for peace can
never be main tanned except by n part
nership of democratic nations. No au-
tOcratic government could be trusted
to keep faith within Il or observe Its
covenants. IL must be league of
honor, q partnership of opinion. In
trlgue would eat it's vitals Always the
pIOttings OF inner circles who could
plan what they would, and render ac-
count to no one, would be "A corruption
seated at Its very heart. Only free peO-
pie can hold their purpose and their
honor steady TO a 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
that have been happening within the
last few weeks in Russia? Russia was
known by those who knew her best
to have been always In fact democratic
at heart I'm all vital habits of her
thought, I'm all the intimate relation
ships of her people that spoke their
natural Instinct, their habitual attitude
toward life. The autOcracy that crown
ed the summit of her political struc-
ture, long as IL had stood and terrible
az was the reality of Its power, was
not I'm fact Russian In origin, chnrac-
ter, or purpose, and now IL has been
shaken off and the great generous Rus-
sian people have been added, In all
their native majesty and might, 10 the
forces that are hghtinE for freedom In
the world. for Justice, and for peace.
Here is a fit partner for league OF
honor.
One of the things that have served
to convince us that the PrusSlan auto
cracy was not and could never De our
friend IN that from the very outset OF
the present war "a has filled our I'M
suspecting communities, and even our
Offices of government, with spies ana
set criminal iDtrigues everywhere nfOot
against our national unity of counsel,
our peace within and without, our In
dustries, and our commerce.. Indeed it
In now evident that it's spies were here
even before the war began and h IN
unhappily not n matter OF conjecture
but a fact proven I'm our courts of JUS
more than once come periIously near 10
disturbing the peace and dlslocating
the Industries of the country, have been
carried on at the instigatiOn, with the
support, and even under the personal
directions of official agents of the Inn
periaI government accredited to the
government of the United States.
Even In checking these things and
trying to extIrpnte them we have
IN no inf
probation possible upon them, because
we knew that their source lay not In
any hostile feeling or purpose of the
German people toward US (whO were,
no doubt, ms ignorant of them as we
ourselves werel, hut only In the selfish
designs of n government that did what
* pleased and told It's people nothing.
But they have played their part in serv-
ing TO convince us mt last thnt that
government entertnins no real friend
ship for and means TO act against
our pence and security ut Its convent
ence. That IL means 10 stir up enemies
against us at our very doors, the In
tercepted note to the German minister
at Mexico City In eloquent evidence.
We are accepting this challenge of
hostile purpose because we know that
in such n government, following such
methods, we can never have friend,
and that In the presence of Its organ
lied power, always lying In walt TO
accomplish we know not what pur-
pose, there can be no assured security
for the democratic governments of the
world. We are now about to accept
the gage of battle with the natural foe
TO liberty. and shall. II necessary spend
the whole force OF the nation to check
and nullify it's pretensions and its pow
er. We are glad now that we see the
facts with no veil of false pretcnse
mate peace of the world and for the
liberation of Its peoples, the German
peoples incIudedi for the rights of ma
lions. great md small, and the privi-
lege of men everywhere to choose their
way of life and of obedience.
The world must be made safe for
democracy. It's peace must be planted
upon the tested foundations of political
liberty. We have no selfish ends to
serve We desire no conquests. no
dominion. We seek no lndemnities for
ourselves. no material compensation
for the sacrifices we shall freely make.
We are but one of the champions or
the rights of mankind. We shall be
satisfied when those rights have been
made as secure as the faith and the
freedom of nations can 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
shall. feel confident conduct our oper-
ations as bellgerents without passion
and ourselves observe with proud pune
tilio the principles of right and OF fair
play we profess to be fighting for.
have said nothing Of the govern
ments allied with the Imperial gov
eminent of Germany because they have
not made war upon us or challenged
us to defend our right and our honor.
The AustrO-Hungarian government has.
indeed, avowed it's unqualified indorse-
ment and acceptance OF the reckless
and IawIess submarine warfare, adopt
ed now without disguise by the Imper-
iaI German government, and IL has
therefore not been possible for this
government 10 receive Count TarnOw-
ski, the ambassador recently accredited
10 this government by the Imperial and
Royal government Of Austriu-Hungaryj
but that government Inns not actually
engaged In warfare against citizens OF
the United states on the seas, and
take the liberty, for the present mt
least, OF postponing n discussion OF our
relations with the authorities at VI
enna. We enter this war only where