Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-04-05
THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 1917.
THE NATION CALLED TO WAR
Galveston Newsl

Galveston Newsl
The man whose patience and forbear-
ancc have wone the pIaudits of pacifists
and excited the execrations of chauvini~tS
has hidden the people of the United States
to enter into the most devouring war the
world has known. This alone proves the
abundance of our provocation and estab-
fishes our justification in a way that will
Withstand the utmost scrutiny of history.
1t is not n declaration of war which the
president advised congress to make. lie
has counseled it to recognize the existence
of a state of war. He proceeds from the
postulate that Germany has made war on
Us, and his recommendation il that we ac-
cept the challenge. Who shall question
the truth of that po~stulate! Who even of
those who most keenly feel the horrors of
war shall say that it is not nevertheless
the lesser evil which he bids Us incure If
the proof of his postulate did not run
through the history of the last two years.
the presidents recital Of the crimes that
Germany has committed against US must
Establish its verify. A more dispa>sionate
and vet a more damning indictment was
never entered against a civilized govern
melt than i made by the presidents brief
and simple recapitulation of the wrongs
that have been done 10 Us. And in the de-
gree that ii is an Indictment of Germany, it
is a call to the nations sense of duty and
self respect.
The presidents proposal is that. rec
ognizing a state of war to have been fore
cd upon Us, the nation accept the chal-
lenge and proceed "to exert all of its power
and employ all of its resources to carry on
war against the imperial German govern
ment, and to bring the conflict to a sue
cessful termination" 1t l. no dabbling in
war that he proposes; it Is no bellicose
flourish that he bids IL make. lie would
lead Us into the war TO whatever extent
may be necessary TO conquer the malvol-
ent power that has committed this unriv-
aIed crime against civilization. His conn
sci lacks nothing in explicitness. He would
use our navy upon the lawless submarine.
meantime enlarging the power of the navy
a rapidly a may be possible. He would
create an army on the principle of univer-
sal service, a fit method in a conflict where
democracy struggles To destroy the power
of autocracy. lie suggests no limit to the
size of the army. Ii il to be created in
units of 500. 200 to be multiplied a rapidly
as needed and our means of organization
shall make practicable. He would have
the nation lend it, credit to the present en-
emies OF Germany that our resources may
be dedicated with theirs to the noble and
cnnobling enterprise of destroying the last
vestige of medicvalism that blights the
world. II is into no limited warfare that
the president leads the nation. II IL into
a warfare which stakes the whole of all
that il has To sacrifice, into a warfare
commensurate with the might and dignity
of the nation and worthy of the high pur-
pose 10 which we consecrate ourselves. IL
is n counsel which entails no political al
lance with the present enemies of Ger
many, but n counsel which commits u
unreservedly TO their task, which l. the
destruction of the German government.
But he makes that end itself a means to
n higher end. The outstanding circum-
stance Of the presidents address j. the
distinction it makes between the German
government and the German people. For
them he protests friendship and sympathy
and that, too, Is the undoubted feeling of
the American people. They will enter into
the war; not to crush the German people,
but to destroy a power which rests "a an
incubus on them and n blight on the worlds
civilization. Our warfare is To be on n
nrinciplc, on n system of government which
has become n solecism md a menace to the
worlds peace. We shall fight that all poo
pies may be free-free both of absolutism
and of the dread of war. Ii Is for no less
than q peace in which the world can trust
that we shall fight. No people ever went
To w. for u more exalted end. 1t is an