The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-04-05

insists upon full information concern
Ing all the nations affairs.
i A steaifast concert for peace can
J never be maintained except by part
nership of democratic nations. No au-
; tocratic government could he trusted to
keep faith within IL or observe its COW
enants. 1t must be a league of honor.
partnership OF opinion. Intrigue would
eat Its yitals away; the plottings
OF inner circles who could plan what
they would and render account to no
one would be a corruption seated Mt
its very door
Only free peoples can hold their
purpose and their honor steady to a
4 common end and prefer the interests
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 hearten-
Ing things that have been happening
within the last few weeks In Russia :?
Russia was known by those who knew
II best to have been always In fact
democratic ut heart. in all the yital
habits of her thought. in all the init
mate relationships Of her people that
spoke their neutral instinct their ha-
bitual attitude toward life.
4 The autocracy that crowned the
summit of her political structure, long
as Ii had stood and terrible as was the
reality of its power was not in fact
RUSSIAN in character, or purpose, and
1t now has been shaken off and the
great, generous Russian people have
risen In all their naive majesty and
might TO the height of he forces that
nre lighting for freedom in the world,
FOR justice. and for Isace. Here is a
nj partner for league of honor,
! Intrigued Against National Unity.
One Of the things that has served
to convince us th.r the Prussian au-
tocracy was not and could never be
our friend Is that from fhe very outset
| OF the present war 1t has filled our IN
suspecting communities and even orr
offices of government with spies and
set criminal intrigues everywhere afoot
! against our national unity of counsel,
our peace within and without, our in
dustries and our commerce..
| Indeed 1t Is now evident that its
spies We're here even before the war
began; and Il is unhappily not a mat
ter Of conjecture. but a fact proved
In our courts of Justice that the In
| fri xph hn,
come .perllOusly near to disturbing the
peace and dislocating the industries of
the country have been carried on Mt
the instlgation, with the support and
! even under the personal direction of
official agents of the imperial govern
ment accredited to the government of
the United States. -. IT,. =.
Even In checking these things and
trying TO eXtirpate them we have
sought to put the most generous lnf
depreciation possible upon them. be-
| cause we know that their source lay.
not in any hostile feeling or purpose OF
the German people toward us (who
| were, no doubt, as Ignorant OF them ,ls
we ourselves were), hut only In the
| selfish designs of government that
did what 1t pleased and told It's peo-
pie nothing.
Would Act at Convenience.
But they have played their part I'm
serving to convince us ut last that the
government entertainS no real friend
ship for us and means to act against
our peace and security at its convent
ence. That it means to stir up enc
niles against us ut our very doors the
intercepted note to the German minis
ter at Mexico City is eloquent evil
dence.
We are accepting this challenge Of
hostile purpose because we know that
In such a government, following such
methods, We can never have Il friend,
and that in the re.ente of its organ
lied power, always lying in wait to nc
complish we know not what purpose.
there can he no assured security for
the democratic governments of the
world.
We are now about 10 accept gauge
OF battle with this natural foe to lib
erty and shall, If necessary, expend the
whole force of the nation 10 check and
nuliify It's pretensions and its power.
We are glad, now that we see the
facts with no veil or false pretense
about them, to fight thus for the ulti-
mate peace of the world and for the
liberation Of its people, the German
peoples included; for the rights of ma.
lions great and small, and the priv.
ilege of men everywhere To chdos,
their way of life and of obedience.
The world must be made safe for
democracy. Its peace must be planted
upon the tested foundations of pOlit-
ical liberty.
We desire no conquest, no dominion.
We seek no indcmnties for ourselves.
no material compensation for the sac
rifice we shall freely make 81.
We are but one Of the champions of
the rights of mankind. We shall he
satisfied when those rights have been
made as secure as the faith and the
Praa.In,n 81