The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-04-03

dom lies in the existence of autOcrati
governments backed by organized force
which is controlled wholly by thei
will. not by the will Of their people
We have seen the last of neutrality IL
such circumstances.
INDIVIDUAL STANDARDS. -
1--WE are at the beginning of an ag
, in which it will be insisted that tn
same standards of conduct and Of res
possibility for wrong done shall be oh
served among nations and their govern
ments that are observed among the III
divdual citizens of civilized states.
I'VE have no quarrel with the Ger
man people. We have no feelin:
toward them, but one Of sympathy ant
friendship. 1t was not upon their i'm
pulse that their government acted il
entering this war. 1t was not will
their previous knowledge or approval
1T was Il war determined upon a.
wars used to be determined on in thu
old, unhappy days when peoples were
nowhere consulted by their rulers ant
wars were provoked and waged in til.
interests Of dynasties or of little groups
Of ambitious men who were accustomed
to use their fellOwmen as pawns ant
tools.
INSTANCES OF INTRIGUE.
"Self-govcrnel nations do not fill
their ncighbOr states with spies or sci
the course Of intrigue to bring about
some, critical posture Of affairs. which
will give them an opportunity to strike
and make conquest. Such designs c:tI
be successfully worked only under cover
and where no one has the right to ask
questions.
"Cunningly contrivel 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 conf
dcnces Of narrow and privileged
class. They are happily impossible
where public opinion commands and in
sistS upon full information concerning
all the nations affairs.
DEMOCRACY IN PARTNERSHIP
"a Stcadfast concert for peace can
never be maintained except by part
nerShip Of democratic nations. Auto
cratic governments could be trusted
to keep faith within it or observe its
covenants. 1t must be Il league OF
honor, Il partnership of opinion. III
trisuc would eat its yitals away: tho
plottingS of inner circles who could
plan what they would and render ac
count to no one would he Il corruption
seated at its very heart Only free
peoples can hold their purpose and thcil
honor steady to Il common end and
prefer the interests of mankind to any
narrow interest of their own.
SPEAKS OF RUSSIA.
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 was known by those who
knew it best to have been always in
fact democratic ut heart, in all the
vital habits Of her thoughts. in all the
intimate relationships of her people
that spoke their natural instincts, their
habitual attitude toward life.
''rhc autocracy that crowned the
summit Of her political structure. long
as it had stood and terrible as was tho
reality of its power, was not in fact
Russian III origin, character or pur
pose; and now it has been shaken of
and the great, generous Russian PEG
pie have been added in all their naive
majesty and might to the forces that
arc fighting for freedom in the world
for justice and for peace. Here is Il
fit partner for u league Of honor.
PRUSSlAN' .AUTOCRACY.
"One 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 ull,
suspccting 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 in
duStrics and our commerce.
Indeed, it is now evident that its
spies were here even before the war
began: and it is lnhappily not a mat
ter of conjecture, but a fact proved in
our course of justice that the intri-
CUES which have more than once come
perilously near to disturbing peace
and dislocating the Industries of the
country have been carried on ut the
instigation, with the support and even
under the personal direction Of official
agents of the Imperial Government ac-
credited to the government Of the
United States.
HAVE BEEN LONG SUFFERING.
Even in checking these things and
trying to cxtirpatc them we have sought
to put the most generous intcrpreta-
tons upon them, because we knew that
their source lay, not in any hostile feel
ing or purpose of the German people
toward us, (whO were, no doubt, as
of them as we ourselves werc) -,
but only in the selfish designs of a
government that did what it pleased
and told it's people nothing. But they
have played their part in serving to
convince us at last that that govern
mCnt cntcrtains no real friendship for
us and means to act against our peace
and security at its convenience. That
it means to stir up enemies against us
Mt our very doors, the intercepted note
to the German Minister at Mexico City
is eloquent evidence.
ACCEPTING CHALLENGE.
1--WE are accepting this challenge of
hostile purpose because we know that
in such Il government, following such
methods, we can never have friend
and that in the presence Of its organic
ed power, always lying in wait to ac-