Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1917-12-07
President Requests Immedi-
ate Declaration Of War
on Austria-Hungary
PACIFlSTs ARE WARNED
Suggests That Instead Of Combining
Enemy Aliens In Comfortable In
ternment Camps That They Be
Put IN Penitentiarles.

Hungary.
Pledging America to war to victory
and declaring nothing shall turn us
aside, he asked that Austria Hungary
be formally listed among Americas
enemies to remove this embarrassing
obstacle that stands in our way"
The president spoke as follows:
Gentlemen OF the Congress:
Eight months have elapsed since
had the honor of addressing you. They
have been months crowded with events
of immense and grave significance for
US. shall not undertake to detail or
even to summarize these events. The
practical particulars of the part we
have played in them will be laid before
you in the reports OF the executive
departments. l shall discuss only our
present outlook upon these vast af-
fairs, our present duties and the i'm
mediate means of accomplishing the
| objects we shall hold always in view.
l shall not go back to debate the
causes Of the war. The intoierable
wrongs done and planned against us
by the sinister masters Of Germany
have long since become too grossly
| obvious and odious to every true
American to need to be rehearsed But
| shall ask you to consider again and
| jectives and the measures by which
we mean to attain them; for the pur-
pose OF discussion here in this place
| liz action and our action must move
straight toward definite ends. Our
| object is, of course, to win the war:
and we shall not slaclken or suffer our
| selves to be diverted until It Is won
But 1t is worth while asking and an
swering the question, When shall we
| consider the war wOn2
From one point Of view, 1t is not
| necessary to breach 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 on IL. AS a nation we
are united in spirit and intention.
HEAR DISSENTING VOICES.
l pay little heed to those who tell
me otherwise. l hear the voices Of
dissent-who does not? I hear the
criticism and the clamor of the noisily
thoughtless and troublesome / also
see men here and there fling them
selves in impotent disloyalty against
the calm, indomitable power or the
nation. hear men debate peace who
understand neither It's nature nor the
way in which we may obtain IL with
uplifted eyes and unbroken spirits. But
| 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, be-
lleve that 1t 10 necessary to say plainly
what we here at the seat of action con-
slider the war to be for, and what part
we mean to play In the settlement of
lts searching issues. We are spokesman
of the American people, and they have
. right to know whether their purpose
L. - - a.
coming Of evil. by the defeat once for
all of the sinister forces that interrupt
peace and render 1t impossible. and they
wish to know how closely our thought
runs with theirs and what action we
propose They are impatient with those
who desire peace by any sort OF COM
promige-deeply and Indignantly impa-
tient: but they win be equally impatient
with us If we do not make It plain 10
them what our detectives are and what
we are planning for in seeking to make
conquest OF peace by arms.
HUNS MUST BE CRUSHED.
believe that l speak for them when,
say two things: First, that this intol-
cradle thing OF which the masters OF
Germany have shown us the ugly face,
thus menace OF combined intrigue and
force which we now see SO clearly as
the German power--a thing without con-
science or honor or capacity Tor cove
nanted peaee-must be crushed and, If 1t
be not utterly brought to an end, at
least shut out from the friendly inter-
course of the nations; and second, that
when this thing and its power are in
deed defeated and the time comes that
we can discuss peace-when tine German
people have spoken whose word we can
believe, and when those spokesman are
ready in the name of their people to ac-
cept the common judgment OF the ma
ttons as to what shall henceforth be the
bases of law and of covenant for the
life Of the worid-we shall be willing and
glad 70 pay the full price for peace. and
II nnRTNRARHnWIV N.tN~..
that price win be. II win be fun. inn
| partial justice-justice done at every
/ point and to every nation that the final
| well as our friends.
You catch, with me. the voices of HUI
| manity that are in the air. They grow
daily more audible, more articulate. more
| persuasive, and they come from the
hearts of men everywhere. They insist
/ that the war shall not end in vindictive
action of any kind; that no nation or
cause the irresponsible rulers of a sin
/ gle country have themselves done deep
and abomlnable wrong.
/ 1t Is this thought that has been ex-
| pressed in the formula, mo annexationn.
| no contributions, no punitive indemni-
| ties" Just because this crude formula
expresses the instructive judgment as to
| right Of plain men everywhere, 1t has
been made diiigent use Of by the mas
| ters of German intrigue to lead the peo-
| pie of Russia astray-and the people OF
| every ONneT GOuAllIy NHeT agents could
reach--in order that a premature peace
| might be brought about before autoc-
racy has been taught its final and con
vincing lesson and the people OF the
| world put in control of their own desti-
/ niles.
But the fact that a wrong use has
bsen made Of q just idea Is no reason
| why a right use should not be made OF
/ it. II ought to be brought under the
/ patronage of It's real friends.
| CRUSH HUN MASTERS.
Let 1t be said again that autocracy
must first be shown the utter fntility OF
| Its claims TO power or leadership In the
modern world 1t Is impossible to apply
any standard of justice so long as such
| forces are unchecked and undefeated as
the present masters OF Germany COM
mand Not until that has been done can
right be set up ~ arblter and peace
maker among the nations But when
| that has been done-as, God willing, II
assuredly will be-we shall at least be
| free to do an unprecedented thing and
| this. is the time to avow our purpose to
do It, We shall be free to base peace
| On generosity and justice. to the exclu-