Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-04-06


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strike and make conquests. Such de-
signs can be successfully worked only
under cover and where no one has the
right to ask questions.
"Cunningly contrived plans Of de-
ception or aggression, carried, it may
be, from generation to generation,
can be worked out and kept from the
light only within the privacy of courts
or behind the carefully guarded con-
fidences of privileged class.
They are happily impossible where
public opinion commands and insists
upon full information concerning all
the nations affairs.
never be maintained except by part
nership of democratic nations. No au-
tocratic government could be trusted
to keep faith within it or observe its
covenants. 1t must be a league Of
honor, a partnership Of opinion.
Intrigue would eat its vitals away;
the plottings of inner circles who
could plan what they would and rem
der account to no one would be cor
ruption seated at it's very heart.
Prussia Not Our Friend.
"One of the things that has served
to convince US that the Pruss1an autoc-
racy was not and could never be our
friend is that from the very outset of
the present war it has filed our unsus-
pecting communities and even our Of
fees of government with spies and set
criminal intrigues everywhere afoot
against our national unity of council,
our peace within and without, our in
dustries and our commerce.
Indeed it is now evident that it's
spies were here even before the war
began; and 1t is unhappily not a mat
ter of conjecture, but fact proved in
our courts of Justice, that the intrigues
which have more than once come per-
ilously near to disturbing the peace
and dislOcating the industries of the
country have been carried on at the
instigation, with the support, and even
under the personal direction of official
agents of the imperial government &C.
credited to the government of the
United States.
Even in checking these things and
sought to put the most generous in
depreciation possible upon them be-
cause we knew that their source lay,
not in any hostile feeling OF purpose
Of the German people towards us
(who were, no doubt, as ignorant Of
them as we ourselves were), but only
in the selfish designs of a government
that did what it pleased and told it's
people nothing.
Stern Repression for DisloyaI.
eff there should be disloyalty, 1t
will be dealt with with firm hand of
stern repression; but, if it lifts it's
head at ali. it will lift it only here and
there and without countenance except
from a lawless and malignant few.
ut is, distressing and oppressive
duty, gentlemen of the congress, which
I have performed in thus addressing
you. There are, it may be, many
months Of fiery trial and sacrifice
ahead Of US.
ut is fearful thing to lead this
great peaceful country into war, into
the most terrible and disastrous Of
all wars, civilization itself seeming to
be in the balance.
DIT {rh&
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 au-
thority to have voice in their own
governments, for the rights and liber-
ties of small nations, for a universal
dominion of right by such concert
of free peoples as shall bring peace
and safety to all nations and make
the world itself at least 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 principle
that gave her birth and happiness and
| the peace which she has treasured.
God helping her, she can do no other