Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-12-13
Washington, D. c., Dec. 4.-The pres
den spoke as follows:

hoSS Ato In AO1lol vi duuIeSSlllS NOu.
They ave been months crowded with
events OF Immense and grave signifi-
n for us. I will not undertake to
detail. or even to summarize, those
events. or the part we have played in
them. This will be laid before you in
me reports Q the executive depart
ments. 1 shall discuss only our present
outlook upon these vast affairs. our
present duties and the immediate means
OF accomplishing the objects we shall
hold always in view.
War Aim Is to Win.
Il shall not go back to debate the
causes Of the war. The intolerable
wrongs done and planned against us
by the sinister masters of
nave long since become too grossly
OBVIOUS and odious to every true Amer
lcan to need to be renearsed. But +
'snail ask o to consider again and
WIN a very grave scrutiny our obiec-
yves ana the measures by which we
mean TO attain them for he purpose of
discussion here in this place is action
ana our action must move straight to-
wards definite ends Our object is
OF course to win the war. and we shall
not slacken or suffer ourselves to be
diverted until it is Won. But it is
worth "hlle asking and answering the
question when shall We consider the
war Won?' ~
Safe to Let Pacifists Strut,
From one point of view it is not
necessary to breach this fundamental
matter. do not doubt that the Ameri-
can people know what the war is about
ana what sort of an outcome they will
regard as a realization of their pur-
poao ~ ~. As a nation we are united
10 spirit and intention. l pay little
need TO those who tell me otherwise.
l near the voices of dissent-Who does
not! hear the criticism and the clamor
Oh tae NOISY. thoughtless and trouble
solhe. L also hear men here and there
ling themselves in impotent d~isloyalty
asdthst the calm, indomitable power of
tle rat'on. l hear men debate peace
VINO understand neither it's nature nor
we way IN Which we may attain it,
with upl1fted eyes and unbroken spirits,
put L Know that none of these speaks
tor ahe hatlon. They do not touch the
heaft or anything. They may safely be
ie1t TO strut their uneasy hour and be
forgotten.
But from another point of view I
oelleVe that it is necessary to say plain
~ what we here at the seat of action
ooisiuef the war to be for and what
part we mean to play in the settlement
OF It's searching issues. We are the
spokeSflen OF the American people and
theS nave a right to know whether their
purpose is ours. They desire peace by
the overcoming of evil, by the defeat,
~ XVII, VI liIe sinister forces tina
Interrupt peace and render it impOs-
slole. and they wish to know how close
~ our thought runs with theirs and
"hat acton we propose. They are i'm
Patlent with those who desire peace by
aly sort or compromise-deeply and
Inuisnantly impatient, but they will be
squaily impatient with US if we do not
make 1t plain to them what our obiec-
lives are ana what we are planning for
81 seeking TO make conquest of peace
by arms.
Peace Terms Are Stated.
l peileNe that speak for them when
L say Two things:
tl'st that his intolerable thing of
when The masters of Germany have
SHOWN US the ugly face, this menace of
combined intrigue and force which we
no" see SO clearly as the German
power. u thing without conscience or
iohof or capacity for ~covenanted
peaee, must be crushed. and if it be not
utterly brought to an end, at least shu
Out from the friendly intercourse of the
nallonS; and, second, that when this
thlng and its power are indeed defeated
ana the time comes that we can discuss
pease-"hen the German people have
spokeStnen whose word we can believe,
and when those Spokesman are ready
IN the name of their people to accent
the common judgement of the nations
as to what shall henceforth be the bases
or law and Of covenant for the life of
the world-We shall be willing and Glad
to pay the full price for peace ana BAY
1T ~unsrudgingly. We know what that
price will be. 1t will be full, impartial
JustIce-justice done at every point
and to every nation. The final settle
ment must affect our enemies as Well
as our friends
Against Punitive Indemnities.
You catch. with men, the voices of
hUIEl I1Itr that ara in tI1n OH. rNH,,.
grow daily more audible. more articu-
late, more persuasive, and they come
from the hearts of men everywhere.
They insist that the wal shall not end
in vindictive action of any kind: that
no nation or people shall be robbed or
punished because the irresponsible rul-
ers of a single country have themselves
done deep and abOminable wrong. 1t is
this thought that has been expressed in
the formula, no anncNations. no con-
trihutions, no punitive i~ndemnities,
Just because this crude formula eN-
presses the instructive judgment as 20
right OF plain men everywhere, it has
been made diligent use of by the mas
tiers of German intrigue to lead the peo-
pie of Russia astray-and the people
of every country their agents could
reach, in order that a premature peace
might be brought about before auto
cracv has been taught its final and con-
v1ncing lesson. and the people of the
world put In control of their own des-
TIMES.
Declares Idea Is Good.
but the fact that a wrong u.s. has
been made of a just idea, is no reason
why Il right use should not be made Of
1T. 1t ought to be brought under the
patronage Of it's friends Let it be
said again that autocracy must first be
shown the utter futility 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 undcfeated
as the present masters of Germany
command. Not until that has been
done can right be set up as arbiter and
peacemaker anon nations. Blu when
that has been done-as God willing, it
.assuredly will be--we shall at last be
free to do on unprecedented thing, and
this is the time to avow our purposes to
do it. We shall be free to base peace
on generosity and justice, to the eN-
clusion of all selfish claims to advan-
tage. even on the part of v%ictors.
Determined to Win War.
Let there be no misunderstanding.
Our present ard immediate task is to
win the war n nothing shall turn us