Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-04-03

natural instinct their habitual attitude
towards life
The autocracy that crowned the sum-
nit of her political structure, long as it
had stood and terrible as was the reality
of it's power, was not in fact Russian IN
origin. in character or purpose, and now
it has been shaken and the great. gen
erous Russian 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 league of
honor.
zone Of the things that has served to
convince us that the Prussian autocracN
was not and could never be our friend
is that from the very outset of the pres
ent war it has filed our unsuspectinC
communities and even our offices OF gov
eminent with spies and set criminal IN
trigues everywhere afoot against our ma
tional unit of council, our peace within
and without, our industries and our re-
sources.
"Jndeed il is now evident that its spies
were here even before the war began;
and it is unhappily not matter of con-
lecture but a fact proved In our courts
of Justice that the intrigues which have
more than once come perilously near 10
disturbing the peace and industries or the
country have been carried on at the IN
stigation, with the support ana even
under the personal direction of agents
of the imperial government accredited to
the government of the United States.
Even in checking these things and
irving TO extirpate them we have sought
to put the most generous Interpretation
possible upon them because we know
that their source lay. not in any hostile
feeling or purpose of the German peo-
pie towards US (who were, no doubt, as
ignorant of them as we ourselves were),
but only i'm the selfish designs of q gov
eminent that did what it pleased and
told it's people nothing. But they have
played their part in serving to convince
us at last that that government enter
tains no real friendship for us and
means to act against our peace and Sc
curity at its convenience. That. II
means to stir up enemies against us at
our very doors the intercepted note to
the German minister at Mexico City IS
eloquent evidence.
I'VE are accepting this challenge OF
hostile purpose because we know that
in such a government. following such
methods, we can never have a friend:
and that in the presence of its organized
power always lying in wait to accom-
pish we know not what purpose. there
can be no assured security for the
democratic government of the world.
I'VE are now about to accept gauge
Of battle with this natural foe to lib
erty and shall, if necessary spend the
whole force of the nation to check and
nullify it's pretensions and it's powers.
We are glad. now that we see the facts
with no veil of false pretenso about
them, to fight thus for the ultimate
peace of the world and for the liberation
of it's peoples. the German peoples in
cluded: for the rights of nations great
and small. and the privilege Of men cv-
erywhere to choose their way of life and
of obedience. The world must be made
safe for democracy. It's peace must be
planted upon trusted foundations of po-
litical liberty.
we have no selfish ends TO serve.
We desire no conquest, no dominion.
We seek no indemntes for ourselves.
no material compensation for the sacri-
fees we shall freely make. We are but
one of the champions of the rights of
mankind We shall be satisfied when
these rights have been as secure as the
faith and the freedom of the nations can
make them.
Just because we fight without ram
cor and without selfish objects, seeking
nothing for ourselves but what we shall
wish to share with all free peoples, We
shall, / feel confident conduct our OPP
erations as belligerents without pas
sion and ourselves observe with proud
punctilio the principles of right and Of
fair play we profess to be fighting for
Il nave said nothing Of the govern
ments allied with the Imperial govern
ment Of Germany because they have
not made war upon us or challenged us
to defend our rights and our honor.
The Austro- Hungarian government
has. indeed. avowed its unqualified en-
dorsement and acceptance of the reck-
less and lawless submarine warfare
adopted now without disguise by the
! Imperial German government and it
! mas therefore, IiOt Dttil pooSibiN ipl thio
government to receive Count TarnOw-
ski the ambassador recently accredit-
| ed to this government by the Imperial
and Royal government of Austria Hun
gary but that government has not ac-
tually engaged in warfare against cit
! liens of the United States on the seas
and I take the liberty for the present
at .least of postponing discussion of
our relations with the authorities at
Vienna. We enter this war only where
we are clearly forced into it because
there are TO other means Of defending
our rights
| 1T will be all the easier for us to
conduct ourselves as belligerents in a
| high spirit of right and fairness be-
cause we act without animus not in
enmity towards a people or with the
desire to bring any injury or disad-
vantage upon them, but only in arm
ed opposition to an irresponsible gov
eminent which has thrown aside all