The Elk Mountain pilot., 1917-11-08

and sutocratic power. and to SEE up
AMONG the really free anA self-gov-
erned peoples Of the world such . cen.
cert Of purpose and of action ss will
hencefOrth insure the observance of
those principles.
desirable where the peace of the world
Ii Involved and the freedom of its peo-
pies, and the menace to that peace and
freedom lies In the existence of auto
cratic Eovernments, backed by organ
ined force which In controlled wholly
by their will. not by the will of their
people. We have seen the last of neu-
trality In such circumstances. We are
at the beginning OF an aEe In which II
will be iasisted that the same stand
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. 1t was not upon their impulse
that their government acted In enter
ing the war. 1t 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 OynaStles or OF llttle groups
of ambitious men who were accustomed
to use their fellow men as pawns and
tools.
Self-Koverned nations do not MI their
neixhbor states with spies or set the
cOurne of Intrigue to bring about some
critical posture of Affairs which will
give them an opportunity to strike and
make conquest. Such designs car he
successfully worked out only under
cover and where NO one has the right
to ask questions. Cunnlngly cOntrived
plans of deception aggression, car
ried, 1t may be from generation to gem
Grafton, can be worked out and kept
from the light only within the privacy
of courts OF behind the carefully guard
ed condolences of = narrow and privt-
BILE where public opinion commands and
insists upon full Information CONCERN
Ing all the nations affairs.
steadfnst concert for peace can
never he mnintained except by a part
nership of democratic nations. No au-
tOcratfc government could be tru"fed
10 keep faith within II or observe Its
covenants. II must be = league of
honor. u partnernhlp of Oplnion. Ia
trtKue would eat its vtta1s awayS the
plOttinKs of inner circles who could
plan what they would. and render ac-
count to NO one. would be = corruption
seated at Its very heart. Only free peo-
pie can hold their purpose and their
honor steady to common end' ana
prefer the interest of mankind to any
narrow interest of their own.
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 wns
known by those who knew her best
to have been always In fact democratic
at heart In all vital habits Of her
thought. In all the Intimate relation
ships of her people that spoke their
aatural lastinct, their habitunl attitude
toward life. The autOcracy that crown-
ed the summit of her political struc-
ture. long as II had stood and terrible
rs was the reality of Its power, was
not In fact Russian In origin. charac-
ter, or purpose, and now II has been
shaken OF and the great generous Rus-
sian people have been added, In all
their native maiesty and might, to the
forces that are AEhting fer freedom u
the world. for justice, and for peace.
Here 10 a Mt partner for league oil
honor.
One Of the things that have served
to convince ~ that the Prussia. asto-
cracy was not ana could never he our
friend II that from the very outset Of
the present war II has allied our IN
suapertlng c0mnun1ties, ana even eor
omces of govern ment, with spses a1d
set crimiaal istriGues everywhere afeot
against oaP national unity OF c0unnel.
ear peace within and wtthoat. our Ia
Austries, and our commerce. Indeed II
In new evident that its spies were here
even before the war began and II IL
unhapplly net . satter Of conjecture,
bat q fact proven In our courts OF JUS
tice, that the intriGses which have
mere than once come perilessty near to
disturbing the peace ssa desise.ti.E
the Industries Of the country. have bee.
carried En- At the isstiEatioa. with the
support, and even under the personal
directions Of oActal agents Of the Ia-
perial government accredited to the
government 81 the United States.
Even In checking these things ana
trying to extirpate then We have
sought t. put the West generous ister-
pretati0n pSsalb1e upon then, because
we knew that their sssrce lay not IL
any hostile feeling Or psrpsse Of the
German people toward us (whs were,
ourselves wereD, but only IN the se1Ash
designs ef . government that did what
II pleased and told its people nothlnE.
Bat they have played their part I. serv-
isE to convince o. ~ last that ts:t
government estertains no real friend
ship for rs and means to act agaisst
our peace and security At Its eonveni-
epce. That II aesns to stir - enemies
against us at our very doors, the fn-
terrepteA note to the German mfnlster
At Mexico City f. eloquent evidence.
We are accepting this challenge of
hostile purpese because We know that
II svch = government. following such
methods, we can never have . friesd.
and that In the presence of Its organ
ixed power, always lying In walt to
accomplish We know nOt what Pur-
pese. there car be ns assared security
for the democratic governments Of the
vvsrId. We are now about to accept
the gage of battle with the natural foe
to liberty. and shall. II necessary. spend
the whole force of the nation to check
and nullify Its pretensions and its pow
facts with NO veil of false pretense
about them, to AGht thus for the ulti-
mate peace of the world aad for the
liberation of its peoples, the German
peoples Included, for the riEhts of na-
lions, great and small. and the privi-
lexe Of men everywhere to choose their
aak. AZ nj