The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-04-07

our offices of government with snies
and set criminal intrigues evervwbero
afoot against our national unity of
council, our peace within and with
out, our industries and our commerce
Indeed, 1T is now evident that its
spies were here even before the w.r
began; and it is unhappily not a mat.
ter or conjecture but fact proved
in our courts of justice that the in.
trigues which have more than once
come perilously near to disturbing the
peace and d.slocating the industries Of
the country have been carried on IT
the instigation, with the support and
even under personal direction of Of
fetal agents Of the imperial govern
ment accredited to the government of
the United States.
Even in checking these things and
trying to extirpate them we have
sought to put the most generous inter-
probation possible upon them because
We knew that their source lay not in
any hostile feeling or purpose of the
German people towards us (who were,
no doubt, as ignorant of them as we
ourselves were), but only in the self
ish designs of government that did
what it pleased and told it's people
nothing. But they have played their
part in serving to convince us at least
that that government entertains no
real friendship for us and means to
act against our peace and security at
its convenience. That it means to stir
up enemies against us at our very
doors the intercepted note to the Ger
man minister at Mexico City is elo-
quent 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 accomplish we know not what pur-
pose, there can be no assured security
for the democratic governments of the
world.
I'VE are now about to accept saes
OF battle with this natural foe to
liberty and shall. If necessary, spend
the whole force Of the nation to
check and nullify it's pretensions and
Its powers. We are glad now that we
sec the facts with no veil of false pre-
tense about them, to fight thus for
the ultimate peace Of the world and
for the liberation Of it's peoples. the
German peoples included; for the
rights of nations great and small and
the privilege of men everywhere to
chose their way of life and of obed-
ieAce. The world must be made safe
Tor democracy. It's peace must be
planted upon the trusted foundations
of political liberty.
I'VE have no selfish ends to serve.
we desire no conquest, no dominion.
We seek no indemnities for ourselves
no material compensation for the
sacrifices we shall freely make. We
are but one of the champions of the
rights OF mankind. We shall be sats-
hed when those rights have been as
secure as the faith and the freedom
of the nations can make them.
Just because we fight without
rancor and without selfish objects,
seeking nothing for ourselves but
what we shall wish to share with all
free peoples, we shall, 1 feel conf
dent, conduct our operations as bel
ligerents without passion and our
selves observe with proud punctilio
the principles of right and of fair
play we profess to be fighting for.
Il have said nothing of the gov.
ernments allied with the imperial
government Of Germany because they
have not made war upon us or chal-
lengcd us to defend our rights and
our honor. The Austro- Hungarian
government has indeed avowed its
unqualified Endorsement and accept
ance of the reckless and lawless sub.
marine warfare adopted now without
disguise by the imperial German
government and it has therefore not
been possible for this government 10
receive Count Tarnowski the ambas-
sador recently accredited to this gov
ernment by the imperial and royal
government Of Austria Hungary; but
that government les not actually en-.
gagged in warfare against citizens of
the United States on the seas and
I take the liberty, for the present at
least of postponing q discussion of
our relations with the authorities a