Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-05
President Outlines
Altitude of America
in Great UondWdr

| ] hear the voices Of dissent-who does
not? ! hear the criticism and the
clamor OF the nosily thoughtlcss and
Troublesome. also see men here and
there fling themselves In impotcnt dis
loyalty again tho calm. indomitablc
power of the nation. I hear men de-
hate peace who understand neither. it's
nature nor the way in which we may
attain il. with upiiftcd eyes and un-
broken spirits.
Eut know that none OF these speaks
FOR tho nation. They do not touch
the heart OF anything. They may
safely be left 10 strut their uneasy
hour and be forgotten
But from another point Of view
believe that it is necessary 10 say
plainly what We here at the seat of
action consider the war 10 he for and
what part VIC mean to play in the
settlement of its searching issues. We
are tho spokesman of tho American
people, and they have n right 10 know
whether their purpose Is ours. They
desire peace by the overcoming of evil,
by tho defeat once for all of the sim
lister forces that interrupt peace and
render II impossible. and they wish to
know how closely our thought runs
with theirs. and what action We pro-
pose. They are impatient with those
who desire peace by any sort OF COM
promisc-deeply and Indignantly i'm
pattcnt--but they will nc equally i'm
patient with rs il VIC do not make it
plain to them what our objectivcs are,
and what VIC arc planning for in seek
ING TO make conquest OF peace by arms.
FULL. IMPARTIAL JUSTICE TO
ENEMIES AZ WELL. As FRIENDS
believe that speak for them when
I say two things: First. that this in
tolerablc thing of which the masters
Of Germany have shown us the ugly
face. this menace Of combined intrigue
and force which we now sec SO clearly
rs tho German power, a thing without
| conscience or honor or capacity FOR
covcnantcd peace. must be crushed and,
| if it he not utterly brought to an end
at least shut out from tho friendly in
tcrcourse of the nations; and. second
that when this thing and its power are
| indeed defeated. and tho time comes
that VIC can discuss peacc-when the
German people have spokesman whose
word we can believe, and when those
spokesman are ready in the name OF
their people to accept the common
judgment Of the nations as to what
shall hcnccforth be the bases Of law
and OF covenant for the life OF the
world--we shall be willing and glad to
pay the full price for peace. and pay it
unSrudEinSly. We know what that
price will be. 1t will be full impair
tiat justice--justicc done at every
point. and to every nation that the final
settlement must affect. our enemies as
we'll AS our friends.
You catch. with nc. the voices of
humanity that are in the air They
grow daily more audible, more articu-
late. more ,persua sivc. and they come
from the hearts of men everywhere.
They insist that tho war shall not end
in Vindictivc action OF any kind; that
no nation or people shall be robbed or
punished because the irresponsible
rulers OF a single country have them
selves done deep and ahomna bic
wrong. 1t is this thought that has
hcen expressed in the formula mo an
ncXations, no contributions no punitive
indcmnitics." Just because this crude
formula expresses the instructive judg-
ment as 10 right OF plain men every
where. II has been made diisent use of
by tho masters of German intrigue
to lead the people OF Russia astray--
and tho people Of every other country
their agents could roach--in order that
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