Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1917-06-08


coin until they know their way about
IN this new, strange world of govern
ment by popular will, and
Because of other peoples, with their
rising hope that the world may be
freed from government by the soldier.
Sought to Terrorize Us.
We are fighting Germany because
she sought to terrorize us and then
to fool us. We could not believe that
Germany would do what she said she
would do upon the seas.
We still hear the piteous cry OF
children coming up out of the sea
where the Lusitania went down. And
Germany has never asked forgiveness.
of the world.
We saw the Sussex sunk, crowded
with the sons and daughters Of neu-
trail nations.
We saw ship after ship sent to
the bottom-ships of mercy bound
out of America for the Belgium starv-
ing-ships carrying the Red Cross
and laden with the wounded of al,
nations-ships carrying food and
clothing to friendly, harmless, terror
lied peoples-ships flying the Stars
and Stripes-sent to the bottom hun
dreds of miles from shore manned BY
American seamen, murdered against
all law, without warning.
Believed Germany's Promise.
We belived Germany's promise
that she would respect the reu-
trail flag and the rights of ueu-
trails and We held our anger and
outrage in check. But now we
see she was holding us off with
fair promises until she could
build her huge fleet of submar-
ines. For when spring came she
blew her promise into the air,
just as at the beginning she had
torn up that "scrap of paper"
Then we saw clearly that there was
but one law for Germany, her will to
rule.
We are fighting Germany because
she violated our confidence. Paid Ger
man spies filled our cities. Officials
of her government, received as the
guests of this nation, lived with us to
bride and terrorize, defying our law
and the law of nations.
We are fighting Germany because
while we were yet her friends-the
only great power that still held hands
off-she sent the Zimmerman note,
calling to her aid Mexico, our south
ern neighbor, and hoping to lure ia
pan. our western neighbor, into war
against this nation of peace.
The nation that would do these
things proclaims the gospel that
government has no confidence.
And this doctrine can not live, or
else democracy must die. For
the nations Of the world must
keep faith. There can be no liv-
ing for us in a world where the
state has no conscience, no rever-
ence for the things Of the spirit,
no respect for international law,
no mercy for those who fall be-
fore its force. What an unordered
world! Anarchy! The anarchy
Of the rival wolf packs!
Feudalism Against Democracy.
We are fighting Germany because
in this war fuedalism is making it's
last stand against on-coming demo-
cracy.
We see it now. This Is war a.
gainst an old spirit, an ancient, out
worn spirit. 1t is a war against feu-
dalism-the right of the castle on the
hill to rule the village below. 1t is
a war for democracy-the right of all
to be their own masters.
Let Germany be feudal if she will,
but she must not spread her system
over a world that has outgrown 1t.
Feudalism plus science, thirteenth
century plus twentieth-this is the
religion of mistaken Germany that
has linked itself with the Turk
that has. too, adopted the method OF
Mahomet 1.-THE state has no con-
science" "The state can do no
wrong" with the spirit of the fanatic
she believes this gospel and that it is
her duty to spread it by force
With poison gas that makes living
a hell, with submarines that sneak
through the seas to slyly murder non
combatants, with dirigibles that bonn
bard men and women while they
sleep, with a perfected system Of ter
rorization that the modern world first
heard of when German troops entered
China-German feudalism is making
war upon mankind.
Let this old spirit Of evil Lave its
way and no man will live in America
without paying toll to it. in manhood
and in money. This spirit might de-
mand Canada from defeated. navy
less England. and then our dream OF