Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1917-07-07
STATEMENT OF
CAUSES OF WAR
Continued from page ~

what 1t may be necessary to use tn
force OF the United States to do.
The next day at st. Louis. he repeate,
his warning: 1.-THE danger IL NO
from within, gentlemen. It Ia from
without; and am bound to tell 20,
that that danger Is constant and Inn
mediate. not because anything new
has happened. not because there ha,
been any change In our international
relationship within recent weeks OF
months. but because the danger comes
with every turn OF events"
The break would have come sooner
II our Government had not been re.
strained by the hope that saner
counsels might still prevail In Ger
many. For 1t was well known to
US that the German people had to q
very large extent been kept in ig-
norance OF many Of the secret crimes
of their Government against US. And
the pressure OF faction OF German
public opinion less hostile to this
country was shown when THAR Gov
eminent acQuiesced to some degree
in our demands, at the time OF the
Sussex outrage, and for nearly q
year maintained at least pretense
of observing the pledge they had
made to us. The tension was abated.
While the war spirit was growing
In some sections OF our Nation,
there was still no widespread desire
70 take part In the conflict abroad;
for the tradition OF noninterference
In Europe's political affairs was too
deeply rooted our national Life to be
easily overthr0wn. Moreover. two
other considerations strengthened
our Government In Its efforts to re-
main neutral In this war. The first
was our traditional sense or resDonsi-
bility toward all the republics OF the
New World. Throughout the crisis
our Government was In constant
communication with the countries of
Central and South America. They.
too, preferred the ways OF peace.
And there was very obvious obli-
cation upon us to safeguard their
interests with our own. The second
consideration, which had been 90 Of
ten developed In the Presidents
espeches, was the hope that by keep
ing aloof from the bitter passions
abroad. by preserving untroubled
here the holy ideals OF civilized In
tercourse between nations, we might
be free at the end OF this war to
bind up the wounds OF the conflict.
to be the rest0rsrs and rebuilders Of
the wrecked structure Of tho world.
All these motives held us back. but
1t was not long until we were beset
by further complications. We soon
had reason to believe that the recent
compliance OF the German Govern
ment had not been made to us In
good faith. and was only temporary;
and by the end OF 1915 1t was plain
that our neutral status had again
been made unsafe through the ever
increasing aggressiveness OF the Ger
man autocracy. There was general |
agreement here with the statement |
Of our President. on October rs, 1916,
that this conflict was the last great !
war involving the world In which we
could remain neutral.
It was in this frame of mind, fear
Ing we might be drawn into the war
II 1t did not soon come to an end,
that the President began the prepare
ton Of his note asking the beliger-
emit powers to define their war aims.
But before he had completed 1t, the
world was surprised by the peace
move OF the German Government--an
Identical note ON behalf of the Ger
man Empire, Austra-Hungary, Bull
saria and Turkey, sent through neu-
trail powers on December IL, 1915, to
The governments of the Allies, pro-
posing negotiations for peace. While
expressing the wish to end this war
"a catastrophe which thousands OF
fears OF common civilization was un-
lble to prevent and which Injuries
he most precious achievements of
greater portion of
he note was couched In terms that
save small hope OF a lasting peace.
3oasting OF German conQuests, 1.-THE
srolious deeds of our armies" the
tote implanted In neutral minds the
belief that 1t was the purpose of the !
German Government to in
list upon such conditions as would
cave all Central Europe under Ger ]
nan dominance and so build up an
Empire which would menace the
Whole liberal world.
Moreover. the German proposal
vas accompanied by thinly yelled
hreat to all neutral nations; and