The Ely miner., 1917-11-09

GRAFTON, can be worked out and Kept
from the light only within the privacy
of courts or behind the carefully guard
ed condolences of q marrow and privt-
legged class. They are happily impossf-
BILE where public opinion commands and
insists upon full information concern
Ing all the nations affairs.
steadfast concert for peace can
never be maintained except by part
nership Of democratic nations. No au-
tocratic government could be trusted
to keep faith within 1T or observe its
covenants. 1t must be a league OF
honor, a partnership of opinion. In
trigue would eat it's vitals awayJ the
plottings of inner circles who could
plan what they would, and render ac-
count to no one, would be a corruption
seated at it's very heart. Only free peo-
PIE can hold their purpose and their
honor steady to q common END, ana
prefer the interest of mankind to any
narrow interest of their ovvn.
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, in all the intimate relation
ships of her people that spoke their
natural instinct, their habftual attitude
toward life. The autOcracy that crown
ed the summit of her political struc-
ture, long ms 1T had stood and terrible
as was the reality of it's power, was
not In fact Russian I'm origin, charac-
ter, or purpose, and now 1T has been
shaken on and the great generous RUS
sian people have been added, In all
their native majesty and might, to the
forces that are lighting for freedom In
the world, for Justice, and for peace.
Here is fit partner for league OF
honor.
One of the things that have served
to convince us that the Prussian auto
cracy was not and could never be our
friend fs that from the very outset OF
the present war 1T has filed our un-
suspectinE communities, and even our
Offices of government, with spies and
set criminal fntrigues everywhere afoot
against our national unity of counsel,
our peace within and without, our In
dustries, and our commerce. Indeed 1t
Is now evident that its spies were here
even before the war began and 1t Ii
unhappily not a matter Of conjecture,
but a fact proven In our courts OF JUS
tice, that the intriSues which have
more than once come perilously nenr to
the peace and dislocntfng
the Industries of the country, have been
carried on Mt the instigatfon, with the
support, and even under the personal
directions of Official agents of the Inn
perial government accredited to the
government Of the United States.
Even In checking these things and
trying to extirpate them we have
sought to put the most generous inter
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, as ignorant of them as we
ourselves were), but only In the selfish
designs Of a government that did what
1t pleased and told its people nothing.
But they have played their part I'm serv-
ing to convince us at last that that
government entertains NO real friend
ship for us and means to act against
our peace and security at Its convent
ence. That 1T means to stir up enemies
against us at our very doors, the In
tercepted note to the German minister
at Mexico City II eloquent evidence.
We are accepting this challenge of
hostile purpose because we know that
in such a government, following such
methods, we can never have a friend,
and that in the presence of its organ
lied power, always lying In wait to
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, If necessary, spend
the whole force of the nation to check
and nullify it's pretensions and it's pow
er. We are glad now that we see the
facts with no veil of false pretense
about them, to fight thus for the ulti-
mate peace of the world and for the
liberation of it's peoples, the German
peoples included, for the rights of ma
tiOns, great and small, and the prfvf-
lege of men everywhere to choose their
way of life and Of obedience.
The world must be made safe for
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 indemnities for
ourselves, no material compensation
for the sacrifices we shall freely make.
We are but one of the champions OF
the rights of mankind. We shall be
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
wish to share with all free people. we
shall, feel confident. conduct our oper-
ations as belligerents without passion
and ourselves observe with proud pune
tilio the principles of right and of fair
play we profess to be fighting for.
I have said nothing of the govern
ments allied with the Imperial gov
ernment of Germany because they have
not made war upon us or challenged
us to defend our right and our honor.
The eAustrO-Hungarian government has,
indeed, avowed it's unqualified indOrse-
ment and acceptance of the reckless
and lawless submarine warfare, adopt
ed now without disguise by the Imper-
ial German government, and 1T has
therefore not been possible for this
government to receive Count Tarnow-
ski, the ambassador recently accredited
to this government by the Imperial and
Royal government of Austria Hungary;
but that government has not actually
engaged I'm warfare against citizens of
the United States on the seas, and
take the liberty, for the present at
least, of postponing a discussion Of our
relations with the authorities at VI
emma. We enter this war only where
we are clearly forced into 1T because
there are NO other means Of defending
our rights. ~
1t will be all the easier for us to
conduct ourselves ms belligerents I'm q
high spirit of right and fairness be-
cause we act without animus, not with
enmity toward n people or with the
desire to bring any injury or disad-
upon them, but only I'm armed
to an irresponsible govern
ment which has thrown aside all con-
of humanity and of right
and Is running amuck.
We are, let me say again, the sin
cere friends 81 the German people, and
shall desire nothing SO much as the
early re-establishment of intimate rela-
tions of mutual advantage between us,
however hard 1T may be for them for
the time being to believe that this fs
spoken from our hearts. We have
borne with their present government
through all these bitter months be-