The states-graphic. (Brownsville, Tenn.) 1???-1984, 1917-04-06

2 thought, in all the intimate relation
ships of her people that spoke their
: natural instinct, their habitual atti-
! tu6e toward life.
! The autocracy that crowned the
summit Of her political structure, long
] as IT had stood, and terrible as was
the reality of its power, was not, in
! fact, Russian in origin, character or
purpose; and now it has been shaken
! of and the great, generous Russian
people have been aided in all their ma
tive majesty and might to the forces
that are fighting for freedom in the
world, for justice and for peace. Here
is fit partner for league of honor.
One of the things that has served
TO convince us that the Prussian auto
eracy was not and could never be our
friend is that from the vey outset of
the present war it has filled our I'M
suspecting communities and even our
Offices OF government with spies and
set criminalintrigues everywhere afoot
against our national unity of council.
our peace within and without, our in
dustries and our commerce.
Indeed, it is now evident that its spies
We're here even before the war began:
and it is unhappily not a matter of
conjecture, but a fact proved in our
courts of justice that the intrigues
which have more than once come per-
llously near to disturbing the peace
and dislocating the industries of the
country have been carried on at the in
stigation, with the support and even
under the personal direction of official
agents of the imperial government ac-
credited 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 in
depreciation possible upon them. be-
cause we knew that their source Law.
not in any hostile feeling or purpose
of the German people toward us (who
were no doubt as ignorant of them as
we ourselves were), but only in the
selfish designs of a government that
did what it pleased and told its people
nothing. But they have played their
part IN serving to convince US at last
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.
We are accepting this challenge of
hostile purpose because we know that
m such a government, following such
methods, we can never have a friend
and that in the presence of its organ
lied power, always lying in wait to
accomplish we know not what purpose
there can be no assured security for
the democratic governments of the
world.
We are now about to accept gauge
OF battle with this natural foe to liber-
ty and shall, if necessary, spend the
whole force of the nation to check and
nullify its pretensions and its power.
We are glad now that we see the facts
With no veil of false pretense about
them, to fight thus for the ultimate
peace of the world and for the liber-
alton of the peoples, the German peo-
pies included; for the rights of ma
tons, great and small, and the priv
llege of men everywhere to choose
their way of life and of obedience.
The world must be made safe for de-
mocracy. Its peace must be planted
upon the trusted foundations of DO
litical liberty.
We have no selfish ends to serve.
We desire no conquest. no dominion.
We seek no indemnities for ourselves.
no material compensation for the sac
rihces which we shall freely make. We
are but one of the champions of the
rights of mankind. We shall be salts
he'd when these rights have been made
as secure as the faith and the freedom
Of the nations can make them.
just because we fight without ran
cor, and without selfish objects, seek
ing nothing for ourselves but what we
shall wish to share with all free peo-
pies, we shall, | feel confident, conduct
our operations as belligerents without
passion and ourselves observe with
proud punctilio the principles of right
and of fair play we profess to be fight
ing for.
| have said nothing of the govern
ments allied with the imperial govern
ment OF Germany because they have
not made war upon US or challenged
our right and our honor. The Austro-
hungarian government has, indeed,
avowed its unqualified endorsement
and acceptance of the reckless and
lawless submarine warfare adopted
now without disguise by the imperial
German government, and it has, there
fore, not been possible for this gov
eminent to receive Count Tarnowski
the ambassador recently accredited to
TINS government by the imperial and
royal government of Austria Hungary
out that government has not actually
engaged in warfare against citizens
of the United States on the seas. and
take the liberty, for the present at
least, of postponing a discussion of
our relations with the authorities at
Vienna.
We enter this war only where wa
ar4ItY