The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-04-07

L y. .-
partments Of the government for the
consideration of your committees
measures for the accomplishment of
the several objects I have mentioned.
/ hope that it will be your pleasure
to deal with them as having been
framed after very careful thought by
the branch Of the government upon
which the responsibility OF conduct
ing the war and safeguarding The
nation will most directly fall.
"While we do these things. these
deeply momentous things, let us be
very clear and make very clear to
all the world what our motives and
our objects are. My own thought mas
not been driven from it's habitual and
normal course by the unhappy events
of the last two months and 1 do not
believe that the thought Of the nation
has been altered or clouded by
them.
II have exactly the same things in
mind now that had In mind when l
addressed the senate on the 22nd of
January last; the same that I hat in
mind when I addressed the congress
on the 3rd of February and on the
2Cth of February. Our object now,
as then, 10 to vindicate the principles
of peace and the justice In the life of
the world against selfish and auto
cratic power and to set up amongst
the really free and self-governed pco-
pies of the world such a concert Of
forth insure the observance of those
principles.
Neutrality is no longer feasible or
desirable where the peace of the
world 10 invaded and the freedom of
it's peoples and the menace to that
peace and freedom lies in the ex-
istenco Of autocratic governm ents
backed by organized force which ia
controlled wholly by their will. not
by tho will of their people. We have
seen the last Of neutrality in such cir
cumstances.
I'VE are at the beginning of an
age in which it will be insisted that
the same standards 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.
I'VE have no quarrel with the Ger
man people. We have no feeling to-
ward them but one Of sympathy and
friendship. 1t was not upon cheir
impulse that their government acted
in entering this war. 1t was not
with their previous knowledge or ap-
proval. 1t was war determined upon
as wars used to be determined upon
in the old. unhappy days when peo-
pies were nowhere consulted by cheir
rulers and wars were provoked and
waged in the interest Of dynasties or
Of little groups Of ambitious men who
were accustomed to use their fellow
men as pawns and tools.
"Self-governed nations dc, no: fill
their neighbor states with spies or set
the course of intrigue to bring about
some critical posture Of affairs which
will give them an opportunity to
make conquest. Such designs can be
successfully worked only under cover
and where no one has the right to
ask questions.
"Cunningly contrived plans of de-
ception or aggression, carried, it may
be, from generation to generation,
can be worked out and kept from
the light only within the privacy OF
courts or behind the carefully guard
ed condolences Of a narrow and
privileged class. They are happily
impossible where public opinion com
rlands and insists upon full informa-
ton concerning all the nations af-
fairs. e.:-,
"A steadfast concert for peace can
never be maintained except by part
ncrship of democratic nations. No
'autocratic government could be trust
ed to keep faith within it or observe
lts covenants. 1t must be league
OIL honor, partnership of opinion.
Intrigue would eat it's vitals away:
the plottings of inner circles who
could plan what they would and rem
der account to no one would DO q
corruption seated at it's very he,rt.
Only free peoples can hold their pur-
pose and their honor steady to q
common end and prefer the interests
of mankind to any narrow interest of
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