The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-10-12
LA TOILETTE.


and apparently resting under the delu.
sion that the speech he was making
was a historical event, Senator Rob-
ert NJ. La Toilette on the last day of
the late war session of congress con-
sumcd three hours of valuable time in
a defense of his course.
He spoke volubly and long about
the right Of free speech, the duty of
congress, and the power of the peo-
pie. He resented holly the criticisms
and the resolutions that had been
hurled at his devoted head But with
the blind faulty that has marked
his career for the past three years, he
nowhere and in no place met the prin-
cipal matter in which he offended.
La Toilette stands before the nation
as one who committed sabotage by
trying 10 throw a monkeywrench into
the Legislation machinery by which
the government sought to avenge Ger
man crimes and German insults.
With great dramatic effect La Fol
lette quoted from the speeches of DAN
iel Webster, Henry Clay, Charles Sum-
ner and Abraham Lincoln, to show
how during our Mexican war they de-
manded that the government state
upon what terms it was willing to
conclude a peace. But he neglected
to say that stripped of all extraneous
matters, the underlying issue Of the
Mexican adventure was whether slave
territory should be extended or not.
No wonder men like Lincoln and Web.
ster and Sumner demanded to know
what were our aims and what was
our goal.
The great question in today's war Is
whether German militarism shall rule
the world, or be crushed. All other
questions are futile and of small &C
count beside it. We entered the wal
to make the world safe for democracy
but if La Toilette wants bill Of par
ticulars it is easy to supply it.
Germany assassinatcd our citizens
| on the I.usitania and other ships; She
attempted to dictate to us how, whel
and where American ships should sal
upon the seas and to what ports they
should be bound; she virtually de
clared war upon us when she sOugh
to have Japan and Mexico set upo,
us; her ambassador and other agent!
fomcnted plots against our industries
sought to blow up our factories AM
our ships, and filled the land will
spies who worked against our repub
lie.
This being so, La Toilette render
sorry service to his state and t.
the. nation when he virtually demand
that we make peace before we hav
even begun to make war.
He knows, as all men know, VIII
we have gone to war We have gOn
to war to avenge certain specifi
crimes against US, to crush kaiserisr
and remove its. menace from tn
world. The president has clearly sta
ed we want no annexatiOns and n
indemnities for ourselves, but we d
want reparation for little Belgium an
poor, crushed Serbia. We do wan
the letters removed from the sma
peoples whom the German, the Au
: trian and the Turk have oppressed.
| Until these objects are achieved, "
, will send our soldiers to France, on
navy to the waters where German a!
sassins Turk, our money and our foo
to those embattled nations that ar
helping us fight our fight. No co!
} fused and bemuddled and wrong heat
ed senator from Wisconsin. no Tow
2 ley. or anyone else can cause u
l to vary from the path Of duty and {
S honor
Millennium be,,s will soon Ne rim,