Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-04-12
GERMAN SUB POLICY IS WARFARE
AGAINST MANKIND, WILSON TELLS
CONGRESS IN DEMANDING ACTION

9resSion, carried, 1t may be, from gen.
GRAFTON to generation can be worked
the privacy Of courts or behind the
carefully guarded confidence of a mar
row and privileged class. They are hap
PLY impossible where public opinion
commands and insists upon full infor-
nation concerning all the nations at
fairs.
CAN'T TRUST AuTocRATs.
"A steadfast concert for peace can
never be maintained except by a part
tocratic government could be trusted to-
keep faith within it or observe its owe
nants. 1t must be a league Of honor, a
partnership of opinion. Intrigue would
eat it's vitals away; the piottinss Of in
ner circles. who could plan what they
would and render account to no one
M w. be oa a corruption seated at nai its very
purpose and their honor steady to a
common end and prefer the interest of
mankind to any narrow interest of their
SEES HOPE IN RUSSIA.
Does not every American feel that
assurance has been added to our hope
for the future peoce Of the world by
the wonderful and h%eartenins things
that have been happening. within the
idsl lew "SckS IN hUSSid
Russia was known by those who
knew it best to have been always in
fact 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.
HThe autocracy that crowned the
summit of her political structure, long
as it had stood and terrible as vas the
reality Of the power, was not in fact
Russian, and now it has been shaken
off and the great, generous 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 a fit partner for a league of honor.
convince US that the Prussian autocrat
was not and could never be our friend
is that from the very outset Of the pres
ent war it has filled cur unsuspecting
communities and rel our offices of
government with spies and set Grim
inaI intrigues everywhere afoot against
our national unity of council, u peace
within and without, cur industries and
our
REVIEWS SPY PLOTS.
Mndeed it is now evident that its
spies were here even before the war
began and it is %unhappiIy not a matter
of conjecture, but a fact proved in our
courts Of justice that the intrigues
which have more than once come per-
ilousIy near to disturbing the peace,
disIocating the industries of the coun-
try, have been carried out at the insti-
der the personal direction Of official
agents of the imperial government ac-
credited to the government Of the Unit
eG States.
Even in checking these things and
trying to sxtirpate them we have
sought to put the most generous inter
pretations possible upon them because
any hostile feeling or purpose of the
German people towards 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
it pleased and told it's people NOTHING.
They have played their part in serving
to convince us at last that the govern
ment entertains no real friendship for
us and means to act against our peace
and security at it's convenience. That
it 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.
NO SECURITY FOR U. S.
1--WE are accepting this challenge of
hostile purpose because we know that
in such a government following such
and in the presence of its organized
power, always lying in wait to accom-
plish we know not what %purpose, there
can-be no assured security for the DEM
ccratic governments Of .he world.
1--WE arc now about to accept the
gauge of battle. with this natural foe
to liberty; and shall. if necessary,
cnAnH fhA NUhnlA frp~m rs %hA nnk:&n
check and nullify it's pretensions and
it's power. We are glad now that we
see the facts with no veil of false pre-
tense about them. to fight thus. for the
ultimate peace of the world and for
the liberation of its peoples, the Ger.
man peoples included: for the rights Of
nations great and small. and the priv
lego Of men everywhere to choose their
way Of life and obedience. The world
must be made safe for democracy. Its
peace must be planted upon tho trusted
foundations of political liberty.
we have no selfish ends to serve
We desire no conquest, no dominion.
We seek nc indemnities for ourselves,
no material compensation for the sac
rifices we shall freely make. WI are but
one of the champions Of the rights of
mankind. We shall be satisfied whom
these rights have been as secure as the
faith and the freedom of the nations can
make them.
Gust because we fight without ran
cour and without selfish objects, seek
ing nothing for ourselves but what we
shall wish to share as free peoples, we
shall, | feel confident, conduct our OPP
e~rations as beIIigerents without passion
and ourselves observe with proud
! punctilio the principles Of right and OF
fair plan we profess to be fighting for.
~ have said nothing Of the govern
ments allied with the imperial govern
ment of Germany because they have
not made wal upon IS OF challenged
US to defend our rights and our honor.
The Austro- Hungarian governments has
indeed avowed it's unqualified indorse-
ment and acceptance Of the reckless
and lawIess submarine warfare adopt
ed now without disguise by the in.
perial German government, and it has,
therefore, not been possible for this
government TO receive Count Tarnow-
ski, the Ambassador recently accredit-
ed to this government by the imperial
and royal government Of Austria-Hun
gary, but that government has not ac-
tuaIly engaged in warfare against citj-
Gems Of the United States on the seas
and ! take the liberty for the present
at least, Of postponing a decision OF
our relations with the authorities al
Vienna. We enter this wal only where
we are clearly forced into IL because