The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1917-12-13
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
A. l. BROWN, Editor.

ton of Congress only those matters which
are of most immediate and vital import
ance. Wisely, too, in regard to the con-
duct of the war he seems to have spoken
not only to Congress but directly to the
whole people of the United States and of
the world, as the following extracts will
show: "Our object is of course to win
the war, and we shall not slacken or suf-
fer ourselves to be diverted until it is
won But it is worth while asking and
answering the question when shall we
consider the war won2
This intolerable thing of which the
masters of Germany have shown us the
ugly face, this menace of combined in
rrlgue and force, which we now see clear
~ as the German power, a thing without
conscience or honor or capacity for COW
enanted peace, must be crushed and, if it
be not utterly brought to an end, at least
shut out from the friendly intercourse of
the nations; and, when this thing and it's
power are indeed defeated and the time
comes that we can discuss peace-when
the German people have spokesman
whose word we can believe and when
those spokesman are ready in the name
OF their people to accept the common
Judgment of the nations as to what shall
henceforth be the basis of law and cove
nant for the life of the world-we shall
De willing and glad to pay the full price
for peace and pay it ungrudgingly. We
know what that price will be. 1t will be
full, impartial iustice-justice done at
every point and to every nation that the
flnal settlement must affect, our enemies
as well as our friends
LET there be no misunderstanding.
Our present and immediate task is to
WIN the war, and nothing shall turn US
aside from it until it is accomplished.
Every power and resource we possess.
whether OF men, of money or of materi-
ais, is being devoted and will continue to
be devoted to that purpose until it is
achieved. Those who desire to bring
peace about before that purpose is achiey-
ed, | counsel to carry their advice else
where We will not entertain it. We
shall regard the war only as won when
the German people say to US, through
properly accredited representatives, that
they are ready to agree to settlement
based upon justice and the reparation OF
The wrongs their rulers have done. They
have done wrong to Belgium which
must be repaired. They have establish
ed power over other lands and peoples
than their own-over the great empire of
AustriaH Hungary, over hitherto free
Balkan States, over Turkey, and within
Asia-which must be reIinquished. The
peace we make must remedy the wrong.
1t must deliver the once fair lands and
happy peoples of Belgium and northern
France from the Prussian conquest and
the Prussian menace, but it must also
deliver the peoples of Austria-Hungary,
the peoples of the Balkans and the peo-
pies of Turkey, alike in Europe and in
Asia, from the impudent and alien domi-
nation of the Prussian military and COM
m ercial autocracy.
What shall we do then, to push this
great war of freedom and Justice to it's
righteous conclusion? We must clear
away with a thorough hand all impedi-
ments to success and we must make
every adjustment of law that will facili-
tate the full and free use of our whole
capacity and force as fighting unit
The President asks Congress to declare
war against Austro-Hungary, and the
reasons presented are convincing. He
also states the need of the full use of our
waterpowers and the development of all
our other natural resources, at the earli-
est possible moment; better organized
system to govern our foreign trade; and
more efficient operation of transporta-
ton. To control as far as possible the
waste of money in public expenditures
he urges that the House by committee
SlOulQ return " lLo 1OlIlCl VI oSIlCS VI
initiating and preparing all appropriation
bills. Legislation is asked which will fix
adequate penalties and punishment for
plotting and reasonable aliens both men
and women. The President has this to
say about profiteering:
"Recent experience has convinced me
that the Congress must 60 further IN au-
thorizing the government to set limits to
nrices. The law of supply and demand,
am sorry to say, has been replaced by
fbe law of unrestrained selfishness.
While we have eliminated profiteering in
several branches of industry, it still runs
impudently rampantin others. The farm
ers, for example, complain with great
deal of justice that, while the regulation
of food prices restricts their incomes, no
restraints are placed upon the prices OF
most of the things they must themselves
purchase; and similar inequalities obtain
on all Sides"
The above seems to indicate that the
Food Bill is farce or that our public Of