The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-03

rights of mankind. We shall be
satisfied when those rights have
been as secure as the faith and
the freedom of the nations can
make them.
Just because we fight with.
out rancor and without selfish OBJ
jects, seeking nothing for our
selves but what we shall wish to
share with all free peoples, we
shall, I feel confident, conduct
our operations as belligerents
without passion and ourselves OBJ
serve with proud punctilio the
principles of right and fair play
we profess to be fighting for.
81 have said nothing of the gov
ernments allied with the Impe-
rial government Of Germany be-
cause they have not made war up
us or challenged us to defend our
right and our honor. The Aus
tro-Hungarian government has,
indeed, avowed it's unqualified en-
dorsement and acceptance Of the
reckless and lawless submarineJ
warfare adopted now without dis
guise by the Imperial German
government, and it has therefore
not been possible for this gov
eminent to receive Count Tar
nowski, the ambassador recently
accredited to this government by
the Imperial and Royal govern
ment of Austria Hungary; but
that government has not actually
engaged in warfare against 'citi-
zens Of the United States on the
seas and I take the liberty, for
the present at least, of~postpon-
ing a discussion Of our relations
with the authorities at Vienna.
We enter this war only where we
are clearly forced into it because
there are no other means Of de-
Tending our rights.
"It will be all the easier for us
to conduct ourselves as belliger-
ents in high spirit of right and
fairness because we act without
animus, not in enmity towards a
people or with the dsire to bring
any injury or disadvantage upon
them. but only in armed opposi-
ton to an irresponsible govern
ment which has thrown aside all
considerations of humanity and
of right and is running amuck.
I'VE are, let me say again,
the sincere friends of the German
people, and shall desire nothing
so much as to early re-establish
our intimate relations of mutual
advantage between us-however
hard it may be for them, for the
time being, to believe that this
is spoken from our hearts. We
have borne with their present
government through all these bit
ter months because of that,
riendship-exercis a patience
and forbearance which would
otherwise have been impossible.
We shall, happily, still have an
opportunity to prove that friend
ship in our daily attitude and ac-
lions towards the millions of men
and women of German birth and
native sympathy who live
amongst us and share our life,
and we shall be proud to prove it
towards all who are in fact loyal
to their neighbour and to the gov
eminent in the hour of test. They
are most of them as true and 10y
al Americans as if they had new
er known any other fealty or al
legiance. They will be prompt to,
stand with us in rebuking and re-
straining the few who may be of
a different mind and purpose. If
there should be disloyalty it will
be dealt with with a firm hand of
stern repression; but, if it lifts
its head at all, it will lift lit here
and there and without counten-
ance except from a lawless and
malignant few.
cit is a distressing and oppres.
sive duty, gentlemen of the Con-
gress, which I have performed in
addressing you. There are, it
may be, many months of fiery
trial and sacrifice ahead of us. 1t
is fearful thing to lead this great
peaceful people into war, into the
most terrible and disastrous of
all wars, civilization itself SEEM
ing to be in the balance. But
the right is more precious than
peace, and we shall fight for the
things which we already carried
nearest our hearts-for democ-
racy, for the right Of those who
submit to authority to have a
voice in their own governments.
for the rights and liberties of
small nations, for a universal do
minion of right by such concert
of free peoples as shall bring
peace and safety to all nations and.
make the world itself at last free.
To such a task we can dedicate
our lives and our fortunes, every
thing that we are and everything
that we have, with the pride of
those who know that the day has
come when a nation is privileged
to spend her blood and hen mon
ey for the principles that gave her
birth and happiness and the peace
which she has treasured. God
helping her, she can do no 9TH
err