Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1917-11-09

amo4Aa the really free and self-gov.
erned peoples of the world such a com
cert of purpose and of action as Will
hencefOrth insure the observance of
those principles.
Neutrality is no longer feasible or
desirable where the peace of the world
is involved and the freedom of it's peO-
pies, and the menace to that peace and
freedom lies I'm the existence of auto
cratic governments, backed by organ
lied force which fs controlled wholly
by their will, not by the will of their
people. We have seen the last OF neu-
traIity In such circumstances. We are
at the beginning of an age in which 1t
will be insisted that the same stand
ards 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.
We have no quarrel with the German
people We have no feeling toward
them but one of sympathy and friend
ship. It was not upon their impulse
that their government acted in enter
ing the war. It was not with their
previous knowledge or approval 1t
was a war determined upon as wars
used to be determined upon in the old
unhappy days, when peoples were no
where consulted by their 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.
SeIf-gOverned nations do mot fill their
neighbor states with spies or set the
course of intrigue to bring about some
critical posture of affairs which will
give them am opportunity to strike and
make conquest. Such designs can be
successfully worked out only under
cover and where mo ONE has the right
to ask questions. Cunningly cOntrived
plans of deception or aggression, car
rfed, it may be from generation TO gem
Grafton, can be worked out and kept
from the light only within the privacy
of courts or behind the carefully guard
ed condolences of narrow and prfvi-
legged class. They are happily impOssi-
BILE where public opinion commands and
insists upon full information concern
ing all the nations affairs.
steadfast concert for peace can
never be maintained except by part
nership of democratic nations. NO au-
tocratic government could be trusted
to keep faith within 1T or observe Its
covenants. 1t must be league of
honor, a partnership of opinion. In
trigue would eat it's vftals away; the
pIOttings of inner circles who could
plan what they would, and render ac-
count to mo one, would be corruption
seated mt it's very heart. Only free peO-
pie can hold their purpose and their
honor steady to a common end, and
prefer the interest of mankind 70 any
narrow interest of their own.
Does not every American feel that
assurance has been added to our nope
for the future peace Of the world Dy
the wonderful and heartenlng Things
that have been happening within the
last few weeks in Russia? Russia was
known by those who knew her best
to have been always i'm fact democratic
at heart In all vital habits OF her
thought, i'm all the intimate relation
ships of her people that spoke their
natural instinct, their habftuai attitude
toward life. The autOcracy that crown
ed the summit of her political struc-
ture, long it had stood and terriDle
as was the reality of It's power. was
mot i'm fact Russian I'm origin, charac-
ter, or purpose, and now 1T has been
shaken off and the great generous Rus
sian people have been added, In all
their native majesty and might, to the
forces that are fighting for freedom I'm
the world, for justice, and for peace.
Here is fit partner for league OF
honor.
One of the things that have served
to convince that the Pruss1an auto
cracy was mot and could never be our
friend is that from the very outset OF
the present war 1T has filled our un-
suspecting communities, and even our
Offices of government, with spies and
set criminal intrigues everywhere afOOt
against our national unity of counsel
our peace within and without, our In
dustries, and our commerce. Indeed IL
is now evident that it's spies were here
even before the war began and 1t il
unhappfly not matter of conjecture,
but a fact proven i'm our courts of JUS
tice. that the intrigues which have
more than once come perilOusly near 10
disturbing the peace and disiocating
the industries of the country, have been
carried on at the instigatiOn, with the
support, and even under the personal
directions Of Official agents of the Inn
periaI government accredited to the
government of the United States.
Even I'm checking these things and
trying to extirpate them we have
sought to put the most generous inter-
probation possible upon them, because
we knew that their source lay not In
any hostile feeling or purpose OF the
German people toward as (whO were,
mo doubt, as ignorant of them as we
ourselves were), but only I'm the selfish
u
it pleased and told Its people nothing.
But they have played their part I'm serv-
ing to convince us at last that that
government entertains mo- real friend
ship for us and means to act against
our peace and security at Its convent
ence. That it means to stir up enemies
against MS at our very doors, the In
tercepted 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 friend,
and that I'm the presence of Its organ
lied power, always lying I'm wait to
accomplish we know not what pur-
pOse there can be mo assured security
for the democratic governments of the
world. We are now about to accept
the gage Of battle with the natural foe
to liberty, and shall, if necessary. spend
the whole force of the nation to check
and nullify it's pretensions and it's pow
err We are glad now that we see the
facts with no veil OF false pretense
about them, to fight thus for the ulti-
mate peace of the world and for the
liberation of It's peoples, the German
peoples included; for the rights of ma
tions, great and small, and the prjvi-
lege of men everywhere to choose their
oR Oh