Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-11-09

among the really free and seIf-gOv-
erned peoples Of the world such a con-
cert of purpose and of action as Will
hencefOrth insure the observance of
those principles.
Neutrality Is no longer feasible or
desirable where the, peace of the world
il involved and the freedom of its peO-
pies, and the menace 10 that peace and
freedom lies in the existence of auto
cratic governments, backed by organ
ized force which is controlled wholly
by their will, not by the will of their
people. We have seen the last of neu-
trality I'm such circumstances. We are
at the beginning of an age in which 1t
will be insisted that the same stand
ards of conduct and of responsibility
for wrong done shall be observed
among nations and their governments
that are observed among the Individual
citizens of civilized states.
We have no quarrel with the German
people. We have no feeling toward
them but one of sympathy and friend
ship. 1t was not upon their impulse
that their government acted in enter
ing the war. 1t was not with their
previous knowledge or approval. 1t
was a war determined upon as wars
used to be determined upon in the old
unhappy days, when peoples were no.
WneTe COnSulIeu Dy lHelT TuleTS anu
wars were provoked and waged in the
interest of dyna sites or of little groups
of ambitious men who were accustomed
to use their fellow men as pawns and
tools.
Self-gOverned nations do not i'll their
neighbOr states with spies set the
course of intrigue to bring about some
critical posture of affairs which will
give them an opportunity to strike and
I.A
successfully worked out only under
cover and where one has the right
to ask questions. Cunningly cOntrlved
plans of deception or aggression, car
ried, 1t may be from generation to gen
GRAFTON, can be worked out and kept
from the light only within the privacy
of courts or behind the carefully Gunrd-
ed condolences of a narrow and priV1-
legged class. They are happily impOssi-
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 it's
covenants. 1t must be a league of
honor, a partnership of opinion. In
trigue would eat les vitals away; the
plOttings of inner circles who could
plan what they would, and render nc
count to no one, would be a corruption
seated at its very heart. Only free peO-
pie can hold their purpose and their
honor steady to common END, ana
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 hearten1ng 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 In all vital habits of her
thought. in all the intimate relation
ships of her people that spoke their
natural Instinct, their habitua1 attitude
toward life. The autOcracy that Crown
ed the summit of her political struc-
ture, long 1T had stood and terrible
as was the reality of its power, was
not in fact Russian in origin, charac-
ter, or purpose, and now 1T has been
shaken OF and the great generous Rus
sian people have been added, In all
their native majesty and might, to the
forces that are fighting for freedom In
the world, for Justice, and for peace.
Here is a ft partner for a 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 un-
suspecting communities, and even our
Offices of government, with spies and
set criminal intriEues everywhere afOot
against our national unity of counsel,
our peace within and without, our in
dustrfes, and our commerce. Indeed ii
IL now evident that Its spies were here
xr.a
unhappiIy not a matter of conjecture,
hut a fact proven I'm our courts of JUS
tice, that the intrigues which have
more than once come perilOusly near to
disturbing the peace and disIOcating
the industries of the country, have been
carried on mt the instigatiOn, with the
| support, and even under the personal
| directions of Official agents of the I'm
periaI government accredited to the
| government of the United States.
Even I'm 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 we
ourselves vere), but only in the selfish
| designs Of n government that did what
1t pleased and told its people nothing
| But they have played their part in serv-
| ing to convince mt 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
mt Mexico City Is eloquent evidence.
We are accepting this challenge OF
hostile purpose because we know thai
| In such n government, following sucl
methods, we can never have a friend
| and that in the presence of its organ
| lied power, always lying in wait t.
| accomplish we know not vIrat pur.
pose, there can be no assured security
for the democratic governments of th'
| world. We are now about to accep
| the gage of battle with the natural fo'
| to liberty, and shall, If necessary, spenC
| the whole force of the nation to checl
and nullify it's pretensions and its pow
err We are glad now that we see tn
facts with no veil of false pretens
about them, to fight thus for the ulti
mate peace of the world and for tn
liberation of its peoples, the German
| peoples includedj for the rights of nB
tions, great and small, and the privi
| I-Se of men everywhere to choose thei
way of life and of obedience.
The world must be made safe 70
democracy. Its peace must be pIante
upon the tested foundations of pOIitica
liberty. We have no selfish ends t
serve. We desire no conquests, n
dominion. We seek no indemnities fO
ourselves, no material compensation
for the sacrifices we shall freely max,
We are but one of the champions @
the rights of mankind. We shall b
satisfied when those rights have bee
made as secure as the faith and tn
| freedom of nations can make them.
Just because we fight without ranco
and without selfish object, seekin