The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-04-06
Presidents War MESSAGE
Continued from LIST page

doors the intercepted note to the Ger
man Minister at Mexico City is aelo-
quent evidence. ~,
We Accept Challenge.
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
organized power, always lying in wal5
to accomplish we know not what pur-
pose, there can be no assured security
for the democratic government OF the
world.
We are now about to accept the
gague of battle with this natural foe
to liberty and shall, if necessary, spend
the whole force of the nation to check
and nullify its pretensiOns and its
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 aud for
the liberation of its peoples, the Ger
man people included; for the rights of
nations great and small and the priv
ilege of men everywhere to choose
their way of life and of obedience.
The world must be safe for demOc-
racy. It's peace must be landed upon
the trusted foundations of political
liberation.
We have no selfish ends to serve.
We desire no conquest, no dominion.
We seek no indemnities for ourselves,
no material compensation for the sac
rifices 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 as Sc
cure as the faith and the freedom of
the nation can make them.
Just because we fight without ran
cor 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 operations as belligerents without
passion and ourselves observe with
proud punctilio the principles Of right
and of fair play we profess to be
fighting for.
It's Up to Austria.
/ have said nothing of the Govern
ments allied with the Imperial Gov
eminent of Germany because they
have not made war upon US or chal-
lenged us to defend our right and our
honor. The Austro- Hungarian Gov
eminent has indeed, avowed its un-
qualified endorsement and acceptance
of the wreckless and lawless subma-
rine warfare adopted now without dis
guise by the Imperial German Gov
eminent, and it has therefore not
been possible for this Government to
receive Count Tarnowski, the Ambas-
sador recently accredited by this
Government by the Imperial and
Royal Government of Austro-Hun-
gary; but that Government has not
actually engaged in warfare against
citizens of the United States on the
seas, and l take the liberty, for the
present at least, of postponing a de-
cision of our relations with the au-
thorities at Vienna. We enter this
war only where we are clearly forced
into it because there are no other
means of defending our rights.
1t will be all the easier for us to
conduct ourselves as belligerents in a
ulSH SplIlC VI IlehL anu Ian HeSo DS-
cause we act without animus, not in
enmity towards a people or with the
desire to bring any injury or disad-
vantage towards a people or disad-
vantage upon them, but only in armed
opposition to an irresponsible Gov
eminent which has thrown aside all
considerations 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 so much as
the early re-establishment of init
mate relations of mutual advantage
between us--however hard it may be
for them, for the time being, to be-
lieve that this is spoken from our
hearts. We have borne with their
present Government through all these
bitter months because of that friend
| ship-eXercising patience and for
bearance which would otherwise have
been impossible.
Would Prove Friendship.
We shall, happily, still have an OPP
portunity to prove that friendship in
our daily attitude and actions towards
the millions of men and women of
German birth and native sympathy
who live amongst US and share our
life, and we shall be proud to prove
it toward all who are in fact loyal
to their neighbors and to the Govern
ment in the hour of test. They are
most of them, as true and loyal Amer
leans as if they had never known any
other fealty or allegiance. They will
be prompt to stand with US in rebuk-
ing and restraining the few who may
be of different mind and purpose.
If there should be disloyalty, II will
be dealt with with a firm hand of
stern repression, but if it lifts its
head at all, il will lift it only here and
there and without countenance, ex-
cept from lawless and malignant
few.
1t is "a distressing and oppressive
duty, gentlemen of the Congress,
which | have performed in thus adj
dressing you. There are, it may be,
many months of fiery trial and sacri-
flee ahead of us. 1t is fearful thing