The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-04-03

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 it best to have been always in
fact democratic at heart. In all the vi
tai habits of her thought, in all the
| intimate relationships OF her people
| there spoke their natural instinct. their
habitual attitude toward life. The au-
tocracy that crowned the summit of
her political structure, long as it had
stood and terrible as was the reality
Of its power, was not In fact Russian
! in origin, character, or purpose: and
now It has been shaken off and the
great, generous Russian people have
| been added i'm all their naive majesty
and might to the forces that are fight
| tice and for peace. Here is fit part
ner for a league of honor.
l
zone of the things that has served
to convince MS that the prussian an
tocracy was not and could never be our
friend is that from the very outset of
the present war it has filled our unsus-
pectng communities and even our Of
fees of government with spies and set
criminal intrgues everywhere afoot
against our national unity of council
our peace within and without, our in
dustries and our commerce.
Indeed it is now evident that its
spies were here even before the war
began and it. unlfappily, is not a mat
ter of conjecture, but a fact proved in
our courts of justice that the intrigues
which have more than once come per-
ilously near to disturbing the peace
and dislocating the industries of the
country have been carried on at the
under the personal direction of official
agents of the imperial government ac-
credited 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 in
terpretations possible upon them. be
cause 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
nj ftp,l Il Nf ant hat
did what it pleased and told it's people
nothing. But they have planned their
part in serving to convince us at last
that that government entertains no
real friendship for us and means to act
|aSainst our peace and security at its
convenience That it means to stir up
enemies against us at our very doors
the intercepted note to the German
minister at Mexico City is eloquent
evidence"
We are accepting, this challenge of
hostile purpose because we know that
in such a government. following such
methods we can never have a friend
and that in the presence of it's organ
lied power, always lying in wait tc
accomplish we know not what purpose
there can be no assured security fo1
the democratic governments Of tho
world.
Fighting for Peace.
: I'VE are now about TO accept the
: to liberty ana shall. if necessary
: spend the whole force of the nation
to check and nullify its pretention'
5 and its power. We are glad, now tina
we see the facts with no veil of falls
| prctense about them, to fight thus TO
I | the ultimate peace of tha world ant
t for the liberation of its peoples, tn
h German peoples included; for tn
e rights of nations great and small an
n the privilege OF men everywhere t
. choose their way Of life and of obedi
o encc. The world must be made SAT
for democracy. It's peace must b
= planted upon the trusted foundation
@ of political liberty.
c We have no selfish ends to serve
It We desire no conquest, no domination
II We seek no ndcmnties for ourselves
= no material compensation for the sac
d rifices we shall freely make We al
e but one of the champions of the RICH,
d of mankind. We shall be Statistic
l. when those rights have been as secui
as the faith and the freedom of tt
nations can make them.
n Fight Without R1ssion.
t Just because we fight without rar
l. cour and without selfish objects, seel
ID ing nothing for ourselves but what v
IS shall wish to share as free peoples, v
l. shall, | feel confident, conduct our OF
lie erations as bcligerents without passit
t. and ourselves observe with prof
n punctilio III" principles of right and
at fair play We profess to be fighting fC
ID Il have said nothing of the govern
IS 'mentS allied with the imperial COVER