Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1917-10-05

But IL the Questioner is an Ameri-
can, either by birth or bona fide adop-
ton, his question either reveals la
mentable ignorance of the events of
the past three years or shows he is
not true American. And by true
American I mean one whose loyalty
to the country he was born in or has
adopted is not tempered by sympathy
for or antipathy against any other
country-One who loves America
more than he loves any other country
and more than he hates any other
country.
What are We fighting for?
We do not fight for pelf or wealth.
We do not fight because of any an
cient hatred or any yearning for re-
venge. We do not fight to subjugate
or enslave single individual on this
globe. We do not fight to acquire a
single square foot of this earth's sur
face. We do not enter this war to
murder and mutilate the women and
children Of our enemy or to levy trib-
ute upon his cities and towns or to
ravage and pillage his farms and
countryside. We seek no conquest
and we plan no profit.
Because we do not fight for any of
those ends or with any of those mo-
tives, and because in return for our
contributions and losses and sacrifices
in this war we will neither ask nor
accept any indemnity or compensa-
ton, We are willing to admit that, ac-
cording to the standards Of our enc
my and those who sympathize with
our enemy, we fight for nothing worth
while.
But, according to our standards,
according to the standards of democ-
racy, we fight for something greater
and grander than material gain or
the qualification of any passion. We
fight for ideals and principles. We
fight for the wronged and the oppress-
ed. We fight for decency and hu-
manity. We fight for justice and
right. We fight for the liberty Of
mankind. We fight for enfranchise-
ment of the enslaved. We fight for
universal democracy and for perma-
nent peace.
: No less patience have with him
who asks what we are fighting for
than with him who objects to send
: ing our soldiers abroad and prates
wisely about fighting only to resist
invasion. More echoes of Prussian
; emissaries or peace-at-any-price ad-
vocates.
When a fire is raging and headed
your way, do you sit calmly on your
front porch with garden hose in hand
waiting for the flames to reach your
fence, or do you 60 out and join your
attacked and threatened neighbors
in great common effort to extin-
guish the conflagration as soon as
possible? Do you refuse to shoot al
: a mad dog running at large in you,
: neighborhood until he leaps at q
t member Of your own family?
. Having finally accepted Germany's
Q defiant challenges and our enemy be-
: ing known and declared, the dictates
s of common sense told US that w
3 should strike at him when and where
: our blow would be felt the most
When America entered this war, 1,
J, became her plain duty to herself and
3 to her allies and to humanity to CO.
I operate with those allies in the mos
Q practical manner against the common
: enemy and to aid those allies to the
Q full extent of her power in winning
: and ending the war as quickly ~ pos
t sible.
: It would be lovely. e., lovely fol
Germany--if We gave our allies ne
fighting help in Europe and permitted
0 her to vanquish them there and ther
! come over here and give us dose Of
y what poor Belgium has suffered
Q Thankful should we be that We 60,
r into this war while yet there were
d allies to join and before its battl.
J, fields had extended to this continent
8 Let me impress upon you, my coun
0 Itrymen, that clash Of arms between
r Germany and America was inevitable
Even had we escaped this war, tina
r clash would have come q little latel
: unless our present allies had beer
r able without our aid to administer
/ such q crushing defeat in this war a
t would cause the German people Il
o abjure forever the principles ant
d practices Of Prussian militarism. Ad
= miral Diederich's attitude toward
d Dewey at Manila Bay, ROOSEVELT
!. Venezuelan experience with the I'm
e Iperial government, Germany's uncon
t cealed disapproval of our Monroe doc
? trine, were portents which forebodet
( that clash.
: Through railroad and steamship
8 with cable and wireless, by aeroplan'
q and submarine, distances have beer
g wiped out and natura barriers o.
: land and sea have been obliterate(
J. and the world has been made so small
n that there is not room in 1t for {
Q democratic United States and q Prus
l. sianized Germany. Their respective
n theories and methods Of government
b are so incompatible that the two sys
i TENS cannot live and thrive side b!
z side in this twentieth century world
4 Each foremost advocate and strong
n est champion Of it's own politica
j. creed, the growth and expansion o.