The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1917-11-10

-ert of purpose and of .on ns WI!
,enceforth insure the observance
hose principles.
Neutrality is no longer feasible
desirable where the peace of the wori
IL involved and the freedom OF It's PEG
lies. and the menace 10 that peace ah'
freedom lies in the existence OF auto
ratio governments, backed by organ
'zed force which IL controlled who'll
nv their will. not by the will Of fhei
,eopIe We have seen the last OF neu
traIity In such circumstances. We are
VI the beginning of an age In whic" !
will be insisted that the same st"n"'
,rds of conduct and OF responsinih''
for wrong done shall he observe"
,mong nations and their government
hat are observed among the inai'iou"
-ftiyens Of civilized states.
We have no quarrel with the German
neople. We have no feeling toward
them but one of sympathy and friend
hin II was not upon their Impulse
that their government acted in enter
ng the war. 1t was not with their
previous knowledge or approval IL
vas war determined upon as wars
used to be determined upon in the old
unhappy days. when peoples were no
where consulted by their rulers and
wars were provoked and waged in the
interest of dynasties or of little groups
Of ambitious men who were accustomed
to use their fellow men as pawns and
tools.
SeIf-eoyerned nations do not hll their
neighbor states with spies or set the
course of intrigue to bring about some
critical posture Of affairs which will
give them nm opportunity to strike and
make conquest. Such designs can be
successfully worked out only under
kaa
10 ask questions. Cunningly contrfved
plans of deception or aggression. car
Red. IL may be from generation TO gem
Grafton. can be worked out and Kept
from the light only within the privacy
of courts or behind the carefully guard
ed condolences of q narrow and priVi-
legged class. They are happily tmpossi-
BILE where public opinion commands and
Insists upon full information concern
ing all the nations affairs.
A steadfast concert for peace can
never be maintained except by q part
uership OF democratic nations. No au-
tOcratfc government could be trustee
to keep faith within IL or observe its
covenants. II must be league OF
honor, q partnership of opinion. In
trigue would eat Its vftals Always the
plottinGs of Inner circles who could
plan what they would, and render nc
fouuN ~ NJ Ouc. "Ouiu w "
seated Mt Its very heart. Only free peo-
pie can hold their purpose and their
honor steady to a common end ana
prefer the interest of mankind TO any
narrow interest Of their own.
Does not every American feel that
assurance has been added to our hope
for the future peace of the world by
the wonderful and heartening things
that have been happening within the
gfa
known by those who knew her pest
to have been always I'm fact democratic
Mt heart In all vital habits OF her
thought. in all the intimate relation
| ships OF her people that spoke their
natural instinct. their hnbitual attitude
| toward life. The autocracy that CROWN
ed the summit Of her political struc-
ture. long ms II had stood and terrible
as was the reality of Its power. was
not I'm fact Russian In origin. charac-
| ter. or purpose. and now IL has been
| shaken OF and the grent generous Rus-
| sian people have been added. In all
their native majesty and might. TO the
| forces that are fighting for freedom: IN
| the world. for justice, and for peace.
| Here is a fit partner for a league OF
| honor.
One of the things that have served
| to convince that the Prussfan auto
erHey WIS not ana cOul0 DC Vut
! friend is that from the very outset OF
| the present war Il has filled our un-
| suspecting communities. and even our
| Offices of government. with spies ana
| ser criminal intrigues everywhere afoot
against our national unity of counsel.
| our peace within and without. our In
! dustries. and our commerce. Indeed IL
! L. now evident that It's spies were here
| even before the war began and IL IL
! nf lecture.
hut n fact proven in our courts OF jus
| tice, that the intrigues which have
more than once come perilously near to
disturbing the peace and dislocntfng
| the industries of the country, have been
carried on at the instigatiOn. with the
support. and even under the personal
directions of ofHcial agents of the Inn
| perial government accredited to the
government Of the United states.
Even In checking these things and
| trying to extirpate them we have
sought to nut the most generous inter-
probation possible upon them, because
we knew that their source lay not In
any hostile feeling or purpose OF the
German people toward ms (who were.
no doubt, n ignorant of them as we
ourselves were), but only In the selfish
designs of q government that did what
| Il pleased and told its people nothing.
1
| ing to convince ms at last that that
| government entertains no real friend
ship for ms and means to act against
| our pence and security at its convent
ence. That IL means to stir up enemies
/ against ms at our very doors, the In
| tercepted note to the German minister
mt Mexico City IL eloquent evidence.
| We are accepting this challenge Of
| hostile purpose because we know that
| In such q government, following such
| methods, we can never have a 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. We are now about to accept
| the gage of battle with the natural foe
| to liberty and shall. II necessary. spend
| the whole force of the nation to check
| and nullify its pretensions and its pow
| err We are glad now that we the
facts with no veil OF false pretense
about them, TO fight thus for the ulti-
mate peace of the world and for the
liberation OF Its peoples. the German
peoples Included; for the rights OF ma
lions. great and small. and the privi-
lege Of men everywhe-~ to choose their
wsy of life and OF obedience.
The world must be made safe for
democracy. Its peace must he planted
upon the tested foundations of political
liberty. We have no selfish ends to
serve. We desire no conquests. no
dominion. We seek no indie mnities for
ourselves, no material compensation
for the sacrifices we shall freely make.
| We are but one of the champions of
the rights OF mankind. We shall be
satisfied when those rights have been