Middletown transcript., 1917-04-07

very clear, and make very clear tc
all the. world what our motives and
our objects are. Ny own thought has
not been driven from it's habitual and
normal course by the unhappy events
of the last two months and 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 1 had in mind when
addressed the Senate on the I'D oi
January last; the same that l had In
mind when l addressed the Congress
on the Sd of February and on the 26th
of February. Our object now, as then
is to vindicate the principles of peace
and the justice in the life OF the world
as against selfish and autocratic power
and to set up among the really free
and self-governed peoples of the world
such a concert of purpose and OF
action as will henceforth insure the
observance of those principles.
Neutrality No Longer Feasible.
Neutrality is no longer feasible OF
desirable where the peace of the world
is involved and the freedom of its peo
pies, and the menace to that peace
and freedom lies in the existence OF
autocratic governments, backed by
organized force, which is controlled
wholly by their will, not by the will OF
their people. We have seen the last
of neutrality in such circumstances.
I'VE are at the beginning of an age
where it will be insisted that the same
standards of conduct and Of RESPONSE
bility for wrong done shall be observed
among nations and their governments
that are observed among the in,
dividual citizens of civilized states.
No Quarrel With German People.
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 their i'm
pulse that their government acted in
entering this war. 1t was not with
their previous knowledge or approval
at was a war determined upon as
wars used to be determined upon in
the old, unhappy days when peoples
were nowhere 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.
"Self-governed nations do not fill
their neighbor states with spies or set
the course of intrigue to bring about
some critical posture of affairs which
will give them but one of sympathy
and friend-conquest. Such designs can
be successfully worked only under
cover and where no one has the right
to ask questions.
"Cunningly contrived plans of decep.
ton 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 OF
behind the carefully guarded con.
fidences of a narrow and privileged
class.
They are happily impossible where
public opinion commands and insist
upon full information concerning all
the nations affairs.
Autocracy Can't Be Trusted.
"A steadfast concert for peace can
never be maintained except by part
nership of democratic nations. No
autocratic government could be trust
ed to keep faith within it or observe
its covenants. 1t must be league OF
honor, a partnership of opinion. In
trigue would eat its vitals away; the
plottings 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
peoples can hold their purpose and
their honor steady to common end
and prefer the interests of mankind to
any narrow interest of their own.
Prussia Impossible As Friend.
Zone of the things that has served
to convince us that the Prussian auto
cracy was not and could never be our
friend is that from the very outset OF
the present war it 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
council, our peace within and without,
our industries and our commerce.
Indeed, it is now evident that its
spies were here even before the war
began; and it is unhappily not a mat
ter of conjecture, but fact proved in
our courts of justice, that the intrigues
which have more than once come
periliously near to disturbing the
peace and dislocating the industries
Of the country have been carried on
at the instigation, with the support,
and even under the personal direction
of official agents of the Imperial Gov
ernment accredited 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
depreciation 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
selfish designs of government that
did what it pleased and told its people
nothing. But they have played their
part in serving to convince us at last
that that government entertains no
real friendship for us aud means to
act against our peace and security at
its convenience. That 1t means to stir