Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1917-12-14
the Germxn empire; no interference
with her internal affairs.
German People Deceived.

NIT to deceive them and to act as their
masters that they are fighting for the
very life and existence of their en-
pire; war of desperate selfdefense
against deliberate aggression. Nothing
could be more grossly or wantonly
false, and we must seek by the ut
most openness and candOr as TO our
real aims TO convince them of its false
ness. We are in fact fighting for their
emancipation from fear, along with
our own-from the fear as well as
from the fact of unjust attack by
neighbOrS or rivals or Schemers after
world empire. No one is threaten
ing the existence of or the indepen-
dence or the peaceful enterprise of
tn German empire.
Not Again to Be Trusted.
"'The worst that can happen to the
German people is this, that if they
should still, after the war is over.
continue to be obligated to live under
ambitious and intriguing masters in
| terested to disturb the peace of the
world men or classes of men whom the
| other peoples of the world could not
trust, 1t might be impossible &c admit
them TO the partnership of nations
which must henceforth guarantee the
worlds peace. That partnership must
be partnership of peoples not mere
partnership of governments. It might
be impossible. also, in such untOward
circumstances, to admit Germany to
the free economic intercourse which
| must inevitably spring out of the other
| partnerships Of a real peace. But
there would be no aggression in that;
| and such a situation, inevitable be-
cause of distrust, would in the very
nature of things sooner or later cure
itself by processes which would as
surely set in.
"The wrongs, the very deep wrongs,
committed in this war will have to be
righted That of course. But they
cannot and must not be righted by the
commission OF similar wrongs against
Germany and her allies.
'Fhe world will not permit the com
mission of similar wrongs as means
of reparation and settlement.
People Have No Say.
German rulers have been able to up
set the peace of the world only because
| the German people were not suffered
under their tutelage to share the COM
| radeship of the other peoples of the
world either in thought or in purpose.
They were allowed to have no opinion
of their own which might be set up as
a rule of conduct for those who exer-
cised authority over them. But the
congress that concludes this war will
feel the full strength Of the tides that
run now in the hearts and conSciences
of freedom everywhere. It's conclu-
sions will run with these tides.
"All these things have been true
from the very beginning Of this stu
pendous war; and l cannot help think
ing that if they had been made plain
at the very outset the sympathy and
enthusiasm of the Russian people
might have been once for all enlisted
! on the side of the allies, suspicion and
| distrust swept away, and a real and
lasting union of purpose effected.
"The Russian people have been
poisoned by the very same falsehoods
that have kept the German people in
the dark, and the poison has been adj
ministered by the very same hands.
The only possible antidote is the truth.
II cannot be uttered too plainly or too
| often.
From every point Of view, there
! fore. it has seemed to be my duty to
sneak these declarations of purpose, to
add these specific interpretations to
what took the liberty of saying to the
senate in January. Our entrance into
| the war has not altered our attitude
towards the settlement that must come
when it is over.
Declare War on Austria.
what shall we do, then, to push
this great war of freedom and just to
its righteous conclusion? We must
| clear away with a thorough hand all
| impediments to success and we must
make every adjustment of law that
will facilitate the full Gssld free use of
our whole capacity and force as
| fighting unit.
zone very embarrassing obstacle
that stands in our way is that we are
at war with Germany but not with her
allies. I, therefore. very earnestly rec
! ommend that the congress Immediately
| declare the United States in state of
war with Austria-Hungary. Does 1t
seem strange to you that this should
be the conclusion of the argument |
| have Just addressed to you? 1t is not.
1t is in fact the inevitable logic OF
| what have said Hungary is
| for the time being not her own mis-
tress but simply the vassal of the
| German government. We must face
the facts as they are and act upon
them without sentiment in this stern
business. The government of Austria
| Hungary is not acting upon its own
initiative or in response TO the wishes
and feelings of its own peoples, but AS
| the instrument of another nation. We
must meet its force with our own and
regard the central powers as but one.
| Tho yor oou ho successfully conducted