The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-06-15

many is fostering a propaganda for an
Peace, peace, peace has been the
talk of her foreign Office for now q
Year and more" said the President
! "A little Of the talk has been pubic
but most OF it has been private,
Through all sorts of channels ii has
come TO me and in all sorts nt suiSeS'
The military masters under whnm
Germany Is bleeding sec very clearI!
10 what point fate has brought mem
! If they can secure peace now, WIN
the immense advantages still in their
hands which they have up 10 this point
apparently gained, they will have JUS
tified themselves before the German
peoplp: they will have gained by force
what they promised TO gain by ii.
German Assressions.
Tho President recited again the Ger
man aggressions which drove the
United States 10 war. He declared me
niIrnosrs of the American soldiers who
now carry the Stars and Stripes 10
Europe for the first time in history are
not new to American traditions. he-
cause realization Of Gernany'S war
Iaims must eventually mean the undo
ing of the whole world. He spoke IN
full as follows:
hr:ir Flag Day because this Tag whlrh
NJ, honour and under which, ", S"rN" -
=. III" emblem If our UNITY. our N""'T' ga.
thought and rurl":," as l,t''''- M
No r,h"r character than that Wnl'h W.
civ" II from generation 10 %'h't''l'.''
I'b, choices are ours. II N"atS IN MA
,cstir silence ahov" the hosts that exc
.utc those choices wh"lh"r IN m'Arc or
II, war Nnd yet. though silent. II
.rnaks to us.-speaka tn rs Of tn" past
If tho men md women wh" went t'i"rt
n. md of the records they wrote upon
il We cslrhratr thu day Of it's hir'h:
and from it's birth until HOW II has VIII
rrsscd n great history. has il"ht"d On
hirJ, The symbol of great events. Of Il
,.rrnr nlan or life worked out 10y L Er"at
i, neorlc. We arc about to carry 1t lnt"
| battle. TO lift it where II Will draw me
: fire nf our enemies. We arr hh"ul 10
bid thousands. hundreuS @, ''t" ,uH ,n,.
il may nc millions. OF our men 'ls
, Young the strong. the rarahlc men "'
ibr nation, t. go forth and die beneath
it on fields Of blood for awaF,Iior what
For >onrc unaCCuStnnl"C thlnE. FOE
something for which 1t has never sought
,b, t1rr before? American armies were
never before sent across the seas. why
nre they sent now? For som" now pur-
nose. for which this great Tag has never
hon carried before. or for som" old.
ron'i,iar heroic purpose for which 1t
has seen men. It's own men, died on
every battlefield upon which Americans
b,yc bAruc arms since the Revolution!
Must Be Answered
"Thcsn arc questions which must h"
answered. We are Americans. We IN
our turn serve America. and can serve
Der with no private purpose. We must
uSc her flag ~ sh" has always used It.
wa .urc ncCountablc at thu bar nf his
tory and must plead IN utter tranSncSS
what rurpusr 1t is we seek tn serve.
1T Is plain enough how We were forced
into tho war, The extraordinary insults
and aggrcssions uf tho Imperial German
government left us no S"II-r"SrectihE
choice but to take up arms IN defense
If ,ur rights as q free people ann OF our
honour as n sovereign government; IN"
military masters OF Germany denied us
tho right To he neutral. They nil"d "'ir
unsuSpcctinG communities Win Vicious
Sries and conspiratorS and sought 10
heir own hchnif When they found that
,lcv could not do that, their agents di-
, Irrn,lr spread Scditlon amongst us and
sought to draw our own citizens from
their allrgiance.--anu some "I iE">''
agents were mcn connected with the ON
rill embassy Of tn. German g"r"ru'n' at
itself here in our own capital. They
souyht b. vinlcnc" to destroy our indus
, tries and arrest our commerce. lh"H
tried tn incitn Mexico 10 take up arms
against us and I" draw Japan nv" II nos
! lilo alliance with hor.-~nnd that not hy
! ird,rrr,ior but IVY direct suggestion!
from tha foreign offiC" in i;"rlin. Tiny
J ir,rudeutly denied us IN" US" q! IN"
: hiyh seas and repeatedly executed their
! throat TINT they would send L" their
,;,nth any Of our pc"pl" wh" v"ntur"d i"
' ar,proarh tho coasts Of Eurnl" And
! nuuv Of our own people wcr' corrupted.
| Men began to lnni upon their own neigh
| huurS with suspicion and I" W"nd"r III
| their hot resentment ana HurptiH"
whether there wcS any communication
IN which hostile intrigu" did not lurk.
What great nation in such circumstances
would not have taken up arms: Mucii
rs We had desired peace. II WiiS h"ni"d
us, and not Of oar own choice. This l;'r
,,rdnr which We scrv. would hnN'' h.-'.n
tishonoured hnl be with h"'d our hand.
The German People.
"Eut that ia only part of IN" story.
We know now as clearly as W. knew h'-
bore we wcrC ourselves engaged that
wc arc not ,hc enemies Of III" German
people and that they mr." not cur rneni-
| les They did not originate or desire
| this hdeUus war or wish lht' "" Sh"uif
b" drawn into it: and VIC nrH vaguely
conscious that ~" arc iEhting their
cause rs they will some day 50" It. ms
well MS our own. They ar" themselves
! in the prlp of the sam" sinister power
! that has now n last Str"trhrd lis nI'E
| talnns cat and drawn blood lr"ni us.
! 'rh. whole world is at war l"rAiS" tho
Whole World is IN the grip "I thh' power
! Snd is trying out tn" great hattl" which
! shall ,lrt.rmin" whether IL IS 1" 10"
| brought under It's mastery or Hug itS'iI
| free.
..Tb. war WAS begun hy The military
masters If Germany. who proved e. i"'
also. lGr masters. of Observation-Disclosures.
These men HAY" never regarded rhli"ns;
! as peoples. men. women and chi loren ar
/ like blood aud frame rs themselves. for
! whom governments existed and IN whom
| governmental hnd their litr. The have
| r.. gnrlod them merely ~ s"rvic"a \" mr.