The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1917-10-11

her noble churches. She has stripped
the Belgian factories Of their machin-
cry and deprived them OF the raw ma
terial of manufacture.
She has carried away her workmen
by tens of thousands into slavery, and
her women into worse than slavery.
She has slain peaceful noncombatants
by the hundred, undeterred by the
helplessness of age, of infancy, or of
womanhood. She has done the same
in northern France, in Poland, in Ser
bia, in Roumania.
In all of these countries women have
been outraged by the thousand, by
tens of thousand and who ever heard
of German soldier being punished for
rape, or robbery, or murder? These
revolving outrages upon humanity and
law are not the casual incidents of
war, but are the results of settled
policy of frightfulness answering to
the maxim of the Great Frederick to
! command respect through fear"
Why were these things done by Ger
many? The answer rests upon the ac-
cumulated evidence Of German acts
and German words so conclusive that
no pretense can cover it, no sophistry
can disguise it. The answer is that
this war was begun and these crimes
against humanity were done because
Germany was pursuing the hereditary
policy of the Hohenzollerns and fol.
lowing the instincts of the arrogant
military caste which rules Prussia, to
grasp the over lordship Of the civilized
world and establish an empire.in which
she should play the rule of ancient
Rome.
The instinct of the American democ-
racy which led it to act when it did
arose from long delayed and reluct-
ant consciousness still vague and half
expressed, that this is no ordinary war
which the world is waging. 1t is no
contest for petty policies and profits.
1t is a mighty and all-embracing
struggle between two conflicting prin-
ciples of human right and human duty.
1t is a conflict between the divine
right of kings to govern mankind
through armies and mobiles and the
right of the peoples of the .earth who
toll and endure and aspire to govern
themselves by law in the freedom of
individual manhood.
1t is the climax of the supreme
struggle between autocracy and democ-
racy. No nation can stand aside and
be free from its effects. The two sys-
TENS cannot endure together in the
same world.
If autocracy triumphs. military pow
er lustful of dominion, supreme in
strength, intolerant of human rights,
holding itself superior to law, to NOR.
ais, to faith, to compassion will crush
out the free democracies of the world.
If autocracy is defeated and nations
are compelled to recognize the rules Of
law and of morals, then and then only
will democracy be safe.
To this great conflict for human
rights and human liberty America has
committed herself. There can be nc
backward step. There must be either
humiliating and degrading submission
or terrible defeat or glorious victory.
1t was no human will that brought us
to this pass. 1t was not the president.
1t was not congress. 1t was not the
press. 1t was not any political party.
1t was not any section or part of oul
people.
1t was that in the providence of Goo
the mighty forces that determine the
destinies of mankind beyond the con
troll of human purpose have brought tt
US the time, the occasion. the neces
sity, that this peaceful people so long
enjoying the blessings of liberty ano
justice for which their fathers fought
and sacrificed shall again gird them
selves for conflict, and with all the
forces Of manhood nurtured anc
strengthened by liberty offer again the
sacrifice of possessions and of life it.
self, that this nation may still be free
thatethe mission of American democ
racy shall not have failed, that the
world shall be free.