The Alaska daily empire., 1917-10-06

My Young Friends:
 l have accepted an invitation from one of your trustees to deliver a brief the phases of the great problem which our country is called upon to deal with today in connection with a war which has been thurst upon us. I accepted this invitation with some hesitancy, l confess. but because it seemed to come to me as a sort of duty, to perform to the best of my ability.
 This great nation of ours is at war It is hard for those of us in this dis tant country,-distant not only from the field of war, but also from the scene of active preparations and espe- cially the younger people before me. to realize what the statement means
 in it's full significance. A nation with more than one hundred millions of peo- pie, rich in resources almost beyond calculation, moved with the purpose of utilizing it's full strength of men and resources, if necessary, against a ma tion, rather a combination of na- tions, thoroughly prepared. and wagng war for conquest,-by the most ruth less and brutal methods known to civ
 liZation. We are at war primarily in the defense of the rights of our coun- try and people. and of the princi- pies which lie at the very foundation of our government; and beyond that for the broad principles of democracy and the right of every people to gov crn themselves. from indication and from unprovoked aggression: and fur ther inspired, and impelled to final ac- tion, by the highest sentiments of hu- manity, and of justice to many suffer- ing peoples. l do not believe any na- tion in the history of the world ever entered upon war with higher mo- tives. The specific reasons consist of series of incidents, and the corres- pondence connected herewith, repre- senting violations of our neutrality on sea. the waging of secret war in our midst on land and the destruction of innocent persons, many of them women and children, by the agents of Ger many and her allies. The facts in re- lation to these matters have been made public through official documents and other means during the past three years, aod constitute a remarkable chapter in our nations history.
 Ou iidliOIl IldS never sought WAT and never desired war When the great European conflict broke out in 1914 it took the people of the United States by complete surprise. except a small contingent of Army and Navy officers who had studied the program of events in Europe and the prepara- tons being made for war. with grow ing anxiety. and who had urged on every suitable occasion, that this coun- try make preparations for defense.
 In the beginning of the conflict the President earnestly enjoined a spirit of neutrality upon all citizens but 1t was hard to remain neutral in sen timent. in face of the atrocities being committed in Belgium and in view of our historic sympathy and affection for France Our people could not be neu- tral at heart because the great ma jor- ity of them believed in the rights of people. and not in the brutal use of the sword. Nevertheless although not neutral in spirit, we might have been averted had not Germany instituted through every secret and mischiev- ous agency she could command, war against in our own country, by the blowing up of industrial plants and the formation of plots in Mexico and Japan, and by challenging our right to the free use of the seas, and finally by the unbridled use of the sub marine for the destruction of ves- sels without warning. and sending in- nocent persons. including women and children, to the bottom of the sea without any chance of being saved.
 The sinking of the great passen- ger ship Lusitania in May, 1915 most conspicuous of these inhuman acts, and many of the people of our coun- try believed and hoped that the Presi- dent would find in this act ample
 justification for entering the war against Germany, but the President with vision of the consequences which such a step would entail to the nation which he was trying to guide alright. still patiently forebore, unwilling to believe that Germany would countenance an act so con trary to the accepted rules of civil
 ized warfare and hoping through hon. orable means to avert a conflict Ger many. however, apparently believing the United States to be but craven and cowardy nation of mixed people unable. or unwilling to come together for the nations defense, not only refused to abandon it's ruthless and inhuman submarine policy. but took steps to increase it's range and effec- tiveness. l cannot do, better than to here quote some extracts from our be- loved Presidents great message de- livered to Congress on April End. 1917. asking that state of war be declared to exist.
 "The new policy referring to the submarine) has swept every restriction aside Even hospital ships and ships carrying relief to the sorely bercaved and stricken people of Bel giufn have been sunk with the same ruthless lack of compa ssion or of principle. I for little while unable to believe that such things would in fact be done by any gov ernment that had hitherto subscribed to the humane practices of civilized nations. Property can be paid for; the lives of peaceful and in- nocent people cannot be. The present Ge rman submarine warfare against commerce is a warfare against man kind It is war against all nations There has been no discrimina- tion The challenge is to all mankind We are accepting this chal-