The Washington herald., 1917-12-05
TASKS VAR ON AUSTRIA IN HIS ANNUAL MESA GE
War Aims and Peace
Possibilities Put Forth
Ably BY the President
Gentlemen Of the Congress.

- months crowded with events of immense and
grave significance for US. / shall not undertake to
retail to summarize those events. The prac-
teal particulars of the part we have played In them
will be laid before yo in the reports Of the Executive
Departments shall discuss only our present outlook
upon these vast affairs, present duties, and the
immediate means of accomplishing the objects we shall
holds always in view. ....
1 shall not go back to debate the causes Of. the
The intolerabe wrongs done and planned against
by the sinister masters Of Germany have long since
become too grossly obvious and odious to every true
American to need to be rehearsed. But shall ask
you to consider again and with very grave scrutiny
obectives and the measures by which we mean to
attain them for the purpose of discussion here in this
place is action, and our action must move straight
towards definite ends Our object is, of course, to
win the war and shall not slaeken or suffer our
selves to be diverted until Il is But II is worth
while asking and answering the question, When shall
we consider the war wonl
| From one point of view It is not necessary to
breach this fundamental matter. do not doubt that
the American people know what the war is about and
what sort of outcome they will regard as realiza-
ton of their purpose in it. As nation We are united
in spirit and intention pay little heed to those who
tell me otherwise. hear the voices of dissent-who
does not? hear the criticism and the Glamour of the
noisily thoughtless and troublesome. also see men
against the calm, indomitable power of the nation
hear debate peace who understand neither its na-
ture the way in which may attain it with up
lifted eyes and uubroken spirits. But I know that
none of these speales for the nation. They do not
touch the heart of anything They may safely be left
to strut their uneasy hour and be forgotten
But from another point of view I believe that it Is
necessary to say plainly what here the seat of
action consider the to be for and what part we
-. Il. .k.I.-
We are the spokesmen of the American people and
they have right to know whether their purpose is
ours They desire peace by the overcoming of evil BY
the defeat for all of the sinister forces that in
terrup peace and render it impossible and they wish
to know how closely thought with theirs and
what action we propose. They are impatient with
those who desire peace by any sort of Compromise
deeply and Indignantly impatent-but they will be
equally impatient with if do NOT make II plain
to them what our objectves are and what we are
planning for in seeking make conquest of peace BY
arms $zt.
! I believe that speak for them when L say two
things: First that this ntolerabe Thing of which the
masters of Germany have shown the ugly face this
menace of combined intrigue and force which We now
see so clearly as the German power Thing without
conscience or honor capacity for covenanted peace
must be crushed and if it be utterly brought to an
end at least shut from the friendly intercourse OF
the nations and second that when this Thing and its
power are indeed defeated and the time comes that we
can discuss peace,-when the German people have
spokesmen whose word we can believe and when those
spokeSmen ready in the name of their people to
accept the common judgment of the nations as to what
shall henceforth be the bases of law and of covenant
for the life of the world we shall be willing and glad
to pay the full price for peace and pay it ungrudgngIy
We know what that price will be. It will be full i'm
partial justice-justce done at every point and TO
every nation that the final settlement must affect our
enemies well as our friends
You CATCH with me- the voices of humanity that are
in the air. They grow daily more audible, more ar
tctlate, more persuasive, and they come from the
hearts of everywhere. They insist that the war
shall not end IN vndictve action of any kind that no
nation people shall be robbed or punished because
the irresponsible rulers of single country have them
selves done deep and abomnable wrong 1t is this
thought that has been expressed in the formula No
annexations no contributions punitive indemnities
Just because this crude formula expresses the instinc
tive judgment to right of plain everywhere il
has been made dgent of by the masters of Ger
man intrigue to lead the people of Russia astray-and
the people of every other country their agents could
reach, in order that premature, peace might be
brought about before autocray has been taught its
final and convincing lesson and the people of the world
put in control of their own destinies
But the fact that a wrong has been made of
just idea is no reason why right should not be
made of it 1t ought to be brought under the patron
age of its real friends. Let it be said again that
autocracy must first be shown the utter futy of its
claims to power or leadership in the modern world
1t is impossible to apply any standard of justice 50
long such forces unchecked and undefeated as
the present masters of Germany command Not until
that has been done Right be set up arbiter and
peace-maker among the nations. But when that has
been done-aS, God willing il assuredly will be-we
shall last be free to do an unprecedented thing and
this is the time to our purpose to do il. We
shall be free to base peace generosity and justice to
the exclusion of all selfish claims to advantage even on
the part of the yictors
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 materials is being devoted and will con-