Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1917-04-06


of the government upon which the re-
sponsibility of conducting the war and
safeguarding the nation will most di-
rectly fall.
One of the things that has served
to convince me that the Prussian au-
| tocracy was not and could never
| be our friend is that from the very
outset of the present war it has filled
our unsuspecting communities and
| even our offices of government with
spies and set criminal intrigues every
where afoOt againt our national
unity of counsel, our peace within and
without, our industries and our COM
merce.
Indeed, it is now evident that its
spies were here even before the war
began; and it is unhappily not a mat
ter of conjecture but fact proved
in our courts of justice that the in
trigues which have more than once
come perilously near to disturbing the
peace and dislOcating the industries of
| the country have been carried on at
| the instigation, with the special and
| even lIlc DcISOHdI ulIcttIOA III
official agents of the imperial govern
ment accredited TO the government of
| the United States Even in checking
these things and trying to extirpate
them we have sought to put the most
generous Interpretation possible upon
them because we knew that their
source lay, not in any hostile feeling
or purpose of the German people to-
wards us (who were no doubt as igno-
rant of them as we ourselves Were).
but only in the selfish designs of a
government that did what it pleased
and told its people nothing.
5, Proof of Enmity.
But they have played their part in
serving to convince us at least that
that government entertains no real
friendship for us and means to act
against our peace and security at its
convenience That it means to stir
up enemies against US at our very
doors the intercepted note to the Ger
man minister at Mexico City is elo-
quent evidence.
We are accepting this challenge of
hostile purpose because we know that
in such a government, following such
methods, we can never have friend :;
and that in the presence of its organ
lied 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.
Accept Gage of Battle.
We are now about to accept gage
of battle with this natural foe to lib
erty and shall if necessary spend the
whole force of the nation to check ana
nullify its pretensions and its power.
We are glad, now that we see the facts
with no veil of false pretense about
them, to fight thus for the freedom or
the world and for the liberation of its
people, the German people included:
for the rights of nations, great and
small, and the privilege of men every
where to choose their way of life and
of obedience The world must be
made safe for democracy. It's peace
must be planted upon the tested
foundations of political liberty. we
have no selfish ends to serve. We de-
sire no conquest, no dominion. we
seek no indemnities for ourselves, no
material compensation for the sac11-
fees we shall freely make. We are
but one of the champions of the rights
of mankind We shall have been salts
fed when those rights have been made
as secure as the faith and the freedom
of nations can make them.
DiscIaims Selfish Objects.
Inst because we fight without ran
cour and without selfish object, seek
ing nothing for ourselves but what we
wish to share with all free peoples, we
shall. / feel confident, conduct our OPP
erations as belligerents without pas
sion and ourselves observe with proud
punctilio the principles of right ana
of fair play we profess TO be fight
ing for.
1t is a distressing and oppressive
duty, gentlemen of the congress, when
/ have performed in thus addressing
you. There are it may be, many
months OIL lleEH lIIdI anu oetNA'hAO>'
ahead of us. 1t is a fearful thing to
lead this great, peaceful country into
war, into the most terrible and disas-
trous of all wars, civilization itself
seeming to be in the balance.
Puts Right over Peace.
But the right is more precious than
peace, and we shall fight for the things
which we have always carried nearest
our hearts-for democracy, for the
right of those who submit to authority
to have a voice in their own govern
ments, for the rights and liberties of
small nations for universal dominion
of right by such a concert of free peo-
Piles as shall bring peace and safety to
all nations and make the world itself
at last free.
To such a task we can dedicate our
lives and our fortunes, everything that
we are and everything that we have,
with the pride of those who know that
the day has come when America is
privileged TO spend her blood and her
might for the principles that gave her
| birth and hanpineSS and the upacp