The Dickinson press., 1917-04-07

oAAASSu SVdICo.
Have Been Long Suffering.
Gwen in checking these things and
trying to extirpate them we have
sought to put the most generous in
terpretations upon them, because we
knew that their source lay, not in any
hostile feeling or purpose of the Ger
man people toward us, (who were, no
doubt, as ignorant Of them as we our
seves were), 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 government entertains no
real friendship for IS and means to
act against our peace and security at
it's convenience. That it means to stir
up enemies against US at 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 a government, following such
methods, we can never have a friend;
and that in the presence of it's or
ganized power, always lying in wait to
accomplish we know not what pur-
pose, there can be no assured security
for the democratic governments of
the world.
"We are now about to accept the
gauge of battle with this natural foe
to liberty and shall, if necessary,
spend the whole force of the nation to
check and nullify it's ~pretensions and
it's power. We are glad, now that we
see the facts with no wells of false
pretense about them, to fight thus, for
the ultimate peace of the world and
for the liberation of it's people, and
German peoples included; for the
rights of nations, great and small, and
the privilege of men everywhere to
choose their way of life and of obedi-
ence. The world must be made safe
for democracy. Its peace must be
planted upon the trusted foundations
of political liberty.
No Selfish Ends.
"We have no selfish ends to serve.
We desire no conquest, no dominion.
We speak no indemnities for our
selves, no material compensation for
the sacrifices we shall freely make.
We r but one of the champions of
the right of mankind. We shall be
satisfied when those rights have been
as secure as the faith and the free
dom of the nation can make them.
"Just because we fight without ran
cor and without selfish objects, seek
ing nothing for ourselves but what we
shall wish to share as free peoples,
we shall, I feel confident, conduct our
operations as belligerents without pas
sion and ourselves observe with proud
punctilio the principles of right, Of
fair play we profess to be fighting
for.
No Fight With Austria.
81 have said nothing of the govern
ments allied with the imperial govern
ment of Germany, because they have
not made war upon us or challenged
us to defend our rights and our honor.
The Austro-H Hungarian government
has, indeed, avowed it's unqualified en-
dorsement and acceptance of the reck-
less and lawless submarine warfare
adopted now without disguise by the
Imperial German Government, and it
has therefore not been possible for
this government to receive Count
Tarnowski, the ambassador recently
accredited to this government by the
imperial and royal government of
Austria-Hungary; but that govern
ment has not actually engaged in war
fare against citizens of the United
States on the seas, and I take the lib
erty, for the present at least, Of
postponing a decision of our relations
with the authorities at Vienna. We
enter this war only where we are
clearly forced into it because there
are no other means Of defending our
1--WE Act Without Animus."
ut will be all the easier for. us to
conduct ourselves as belligerents in a
high spirit of right and fairness be-
cause we act without animus not in
enmity toward a people or with the
desire to bring any injury n disad-
vantage upon them, but only in armed
opposition to an irresponsible govern
ment which has thrown aside all con-
s~iderations Of humanity and of right
and is running a muck.
Friend of German People.
1--WE are, let me say again, the sin
cere friend Of the German people, and
We shall desire nothing so much as
the early re-establishment of intimate
relations of mutual advantage be-
tween us-however hard it may be for
them, for the time being, to believe
that this is spoken from our hearts.
We have borne with their present gov
eminent through all these bitter
months because of that friendship
exercising a patience and forbearance
which would otherwise have been i'm
possible.
The American Germans.
1--WE shall, happily, still have an op-
portunity to prove that friendship in
our daily attitude and actions toward
the millions of men and women of
German birth and native sympathy
who live amongst us and share our
life, and we shall be proud to prove
! IF fNryn1~I oil xryk n NJ - E--l 1~-.-fa L.