The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-04
Crowded with Events.

Crowded with Events. -.
The president spoke as follows: I
Gentlemen Of the Congress:
Eight months have elapsed since
] last had the honor Of addressing
YOU. They have been months crowd.
ed with events of immense and grave
significance for us. l shall not un..
dertake the detail or even summarize
those events. The practical particu.
lars Of the part we have played In
them will be laid before you In the
reports Of the executive departments.
/ shall discuss only our present 6ut-
look upon these vast affairs, our pres.
ent duties, and the immediate means
of accomplishing the objects, we shall
hold always in view. ,a.s.~ .sr,.,
Won't Debate Causes. ~
81 shall not 90 back to debate the
causes Of the war. The intolerable
wrongs dpne and planned agsinSt ~ps
by the SfHster masters Of sQertARy
have $lotg Since become toS grbSsly
obviohSS Ind :odious to evSfy Strue
American to need to be rehearsed.
But l shall ask you to consider again
and with very grave scrutiny our
objectives and the measures by which
we mean to attain them; for the pur.
pose of discussion here In this place
of action, and our action must move
straight toward definite ends. Our
object is, of course, to win the war,
and we shall not slacken or suffer
ourselves to be diverted until 1t Is
won. But it is worth while asking
and answering the question: When
shall be consider the war won?
United In Spirit.
From one point of view 1t is not
necessary to broach this fundamental
matter. do not doubt that the Amer.
lean people know what the war Is
about, and what sort Of an outcome
they will regard as a realization OF
their purpose in 1t. As nation, we
are united in spirit and intention. l
pay little heed to those who tell ME
otherwise. hear the voices Of dis
sent-who does noto l hear the cri'
ticism and clammor Of the noisy,
thoughtless and troublesome.
Respects to Paeifists.
Il also see men here and there
fling themselves in impotent dtsloyal-
ty against the calm, indomitable pow
er OF the nation. | hear men DEBATE
peace, who understand neither It's ma
ture nor the war in which we may
attain it with uplifted eyes and un-
broken spirit. But I know that none
of these speaks for the nation. They
do not touch the heart Of anything.
they may safely be left to strut their
uneasy hour and be forgotten.
"But from another point OF view l
believe that it Is necessary TO say
plainly what we, here at the seat OF
action, consider the war to be Tor.
and what part we mean to play In the
settlement of its searching issues.
We are the spokesmen of the Amer
ican people, and they have right to
know whether their purpose Is ours.
They desire peace by the overcoming
Of evil, by the defeat once for all OF
the sinister forces that interrupt
peace, and render it impossible. and
they wish to know how closely our
thought runs with theirs and what
action we propose. They arc impa'
tient with those who desire peace oy
any sort of compromise-deeply and
indignantly impatient, but they Will
be equally impatient with US II we
do not make it plain to them wnat
our detectives are and what we are
planning for in seeking to make con-
quest of peace by arms.
Must Be Crushed.
81 believe that speak Tor them
when I say two things: First, tnat
this intolerable thing OF wnlcn the
masters of Germany have shown US
the ugly face, this menace OF COM
bined intrigue and force when we
now see so clearly as the German
mower a thing without conscience OF
honor or capacity for covenanted
neace. must be crushed. ana IL IT %
not utterly brought to an eno' II
least shut out from the friendly lntel.
course of the nation; and, second, tnat