Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-12-07
FIGHT TO VICTORY
DEMAND OF WILSON

Let there be no misunderstanding Our
present and immediate task is TO win the
war and nothing shall turn US aside from
IL until II Is accomplished Every power
and resource we possess, whether OF men,
/ Of money, or Of materials. Is being de-
voted and viii continue to be devoted 10
I that purpose until II Is achieved. Those
who desire to bring. peace about before
| that purpose IS achieved / counsel 70
/ carry their advice else where. We viii
not entertain IL.
we shall regard the war as won only
when the German people say 20 US,
I through properly accredited representa-
| tiyes, that they are ready TO agree 10
| settlement based upon justice and the
! rep2ratioE OF the wrongs their rulers
| have done. They have done a wrong 10
Belgium which must be repaired. They
! have established power over other lands
great empire Of Austria Hungary. over
! hitherto free Balkan states, over Turkey
| and within Asia-which must be relln-
/ pushed.
ADMIRE INDUSTRY SKILL
Germany's success by skill, by industry,
| by knowledge. by enterprise we did not
| grudge or oppose, but admired, rather
| She had built up for herself a -eai en-
| pire of trade and influence, secur~d By
| the peace Of the world. We were con-
/ tent to abide the rivalries Of manufac-
| ture. science and commerce that were In
vOlved for US in her success and stand
or fall as we had or did not have the
/ brains and the initiative to surpass her
! But at the moment when she mad con-
/ spicuously won her triurnphs Of peace she
threw them away, to establish in their
stead what the world will no longer per
litical domination BY arms, by which 70
Gust where she could not excel the rivals
she most feared and hated
The peace We make must remedy that
wrong. 1t must deliver the once fair
/ lands and happy peoples Of Belgium and
northern France from the Prussian con-
must also deliver the peoples Of Aus
tria- Hungary. the peoples Of the Balkans
and the peoples Of Turkey alike in Europe
and Asia, from the impudent and allen
dominion of the Prussian military and
| commercial autocracy.
We owe it. however. to ourselves TO
say that We DO not wish in any way to
impair or TO rearrange the Austro- Hun
garian empire 1t is no affair OF ours
what they do with their own life, either
industrialy or politically. We do not
purpose or desire to dictate to them in
any way. We only desire to see Inat
their affairs are left in their own hands,
IN all matters. great or small. We shall
hope 10 secure for the peoples OF the
Balkan peninsula and for the people Of
the Turkish empire the right and oppor-
tunity to make their own lives safe. their
own fortunes secure against oppression
or injustice and from the dictation Of
foreign courts or parties
ATTITUDE TOWARD GERMANY.
And our attitude and purpose with re-
gard TO Germany herself are Of a ike
kind. We intend no wrong against the
German empire; no interference with her
the one or the other absolutely unjusti
fable, absolutely contrary 10 the prin-
cipies We have professed to live by and
to hold most sacred throughout our life
as nation.
The people of Germany are now being
told by the men who they now permit
to deceive them and to act as their mas
ters that they are fighting for the very
life and existence of their empire, a war
of desperate self defense against delib- /
crate aggression. Nothing could be more
grossly or wantonly false, and we must
seek by the utmost openness and can |
dor as TO our real aims to convince them !
for their emancipation from fear, along I
with our own-from the fear as well as 1
from the fact Of unjust attack by neigh |
bors or rivals or SchemerS after world J
empire. No one is threatening the ex-
istence or the independence or the peace /
ful enterprise Of the German empire
The worst that can happen 10 the detri- /
ment Of the German people is this, that /
If they should still. after the war is over. 4
continue 70 be obligated to live under
ambitious and intriguing masters inter-
ested to disturb the peace of the world, 4
men or classes of men whom the other 1
peoples of the world could not trust, it
might De impossible to admit them TO the
partnership of nations which must hence
forth guarantee the worlds peace. That
partnership must be q partnership Of
peoples, not mere partnership OF gov
ernments- II might be impossible. also in
such untoward circumstances. to admit
Germany to the free economic intercourse
which must undoubtedly spring out OF
the partnerships Of a real peace. But
there would be no aggression in that: and
such a situation. inevitable because OF
would in the very nature of
things sooner or later cure itself, by pro-
cesses which would assuredly set in.
FIGHTING OF WRONGS.
The wrongs, the very deep wrongs.
committed in this war will have TO be
That OF course But they can
not and must not be righted by the com
mission OF similar wrongs against Ger
many and her allies.
The world viii not permit the commits
sion of similar wrongs as a means OF
reparation and settlement Statesmen !
must by this time have learned that the I
opinion Of the world is everywhere wide
awake and fully cOmprehends the issues |
involved. No representative of any self !
governed will dare disregard il by at
tempting any such covenants of selfish
he congress Of Vienna Tho thought of
he plain people here and everywhere |
throughout the world. the people who en-
10y no privilege and have very simple and
lnsophisticated standards Of right and
wrong. Is the air all governments must
lenceforth breathe II they would live.
II is in the full disclosing light OF that
thought that all policies must be con-
ceived and executed in this midday hour
Of the worlds life. German rulers have {
been able to upset the peace of the
world only because the German people
we're not suffered. under their tuteiage,
20 share the comradeship OF the other '
peoples of the world. either in thought /
'r in purpose They were allowed to {
lave no opinion of their own which
night be set up as rule OF conduct /
or those who exercised authority over 6
hem But the congress that concludes
his war will feel the fun strength of r
he tides that run now in the hearts r
md consciences of free men everywhere. s
is conclusions will run with those tides '
TRUE FROM BEGINNING. r
All these things have been true from '
he very beginning of this stupendous $
var. and l cannot help thinking that y
{ they had been made plain at the very {
utset the sympathy and enthusiasm of =
he Russianspeo might have been once
or all enlisted on the side OF the al
les. suspicion and 6istrust swept away d
nd a READ and lasting union of purpose Il
ffected- Had they believed these | e
Kings at the very moment OF their revo- e
ltion, and had they been confirmed in a
hat belief since. the sad reverses which I q
ave recently marked the progress OF "
heir affairs towards an ordered and 1 ol
able government OF free men might | y
ave been avoided. The Russian peo- -
lie have been poisoned by the very same -