Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-11-13

Grafton, can he worked out and Kept
from the light only within the privacy
OF courts or behind the carefully guard
ed condolences of a narrow and prNi-
legged class. They are happily impossi-
bic where public opinion commands ana
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 IT or observe its
covenants. 1t must Re league OF
honor, q partnership of opinion. In
trIgue would eat it's vitais away; the
pIottfngs of inner circles who could
plan what they would, and render ac-
count to NO one, would be corruption
seated at Its very heart. Only free peo-
pie can hold their purpose and their
honor steady to a common end, and
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
mt heart in all vital habits of her
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 Id had stood and terrible
as was the reality of Its power, was
not I'm fact Russian In origin, charac-
ter, or purpose, and now 1t has been
shaken on and the great generous RUS
sian people have been added, In ali
their native 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 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 is that from the very outset OF
the present war 1T has filed our UNI
suspecting communities, and even our
Offices of government, with spies and
set criminal intrigues 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 mere
even before the war began and IL liz
unhappily not a matter OF conjecture,
but a fact proven In our courts OF JUS
tice, that the tntrfgues which nave
more than once come perilOusly near TO
disturbing the peace and dislOcatinS
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 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 it's people nothing.
But they have played their part In serv-
ing to convince at last that that
government eRtertains no real friend
ship for 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 LIS eloquent evidence.
We are accepting this challenge of
hostile purpose because we know that
In such 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
accomplish 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 nuIlify it's pretensions and it's pow
err. 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 Its peoples, the German
peoples included; for the rights of ma
tons, great and small, and the privi-
Iege of men everywhere to choose their
way of life and of obedience.
The world must be made safe for
democracy. It's peace nsust be planted
upon the tesied foundations of political
liberty. We have no selfish ends to
serve We desire no conquests, no
domi MON. We seek NO indemnities for
ours elves, 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
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-
atoms 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.
1 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 its unqualified indOrse-
ment and acceptance of the reckless
and IawIess submarine warfare, adopt
ed now without disguise by the Imper-
iaI 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 In warfare against citizens of
the United States ON the seas, and I
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 other means of defending
our rights.
conduct ourselves as beIligerents In a
high spirit of right and fairness be-
cnuse act without animus, not with
enmity toward a people or with the
desire to bring any injury or disad-
vantage upon them, but only I'm armed
opposition to an irresponsible govern
ment which has thrown aside all con-
sideratiOns of humanity and of right
and is running amuck.
We are. let me say again, the sin
cere friends Of the German people, and
shall desire nothing much as the
early re-establishment of intimate rela-
lions of mutual advantage between us,
however hard 1t may be for them for
the time being to believe that this Is
spoken from our hearts. We have
borne with their present government
through all these bitter months be-
cause of that friendship, exercising a
patience and forbearance which would
otherwise have been impossible.
We shall happily still have an op-
portunIty to prove that friendship In
our daily attitude and actions toward
the millions of men and women of Ger
man birth and native sympathy who
live among and share our life, and
we shall be proud to prove it toward