Macon beacon., 1917-10-19
causes Of the War Abroad
and Why We Are In It,"
Crsut Speech BY Senate, John Sharpe Wiuiams


by 900 people He was introduced by DR.. D. c Hull.
well known educator who speaker of force and ability
Senator Williams speech taken down in full by former
court stenogrpher Jesse Ward we'll known in Macon and
now private secretary Congressman Venabe He has
kindly furnished with copy and therefore able to
give the speech in full fright Oft the bat"
81 have come today to talk to you about the
Of this present conflict Perhaps the most important
tried before the civilized world as jury now being
tried now by peoples Of the earth and by the American
people as part If that urv This world is in crisis
nnparaed since the time OF the breaking up of the Roman
Emni,e when il looked az IL all civilization all enighten-
ment and all law about to disappear bafore the Goth
and Vanda just it has looked recertv for little time
If civilization and law the law of nations especially we're
about TO disappear before the descendants Of those ohs and
Vanda who have had but to scratch their skins
brig the blood Of their ancestors to the front The great
case which being tried everywhere is in Europe the
military autocracy and absolute against
democratic institutions the Of the house of Hohenzo
ermanzed Austria against the free democracies of Belgium
and France and Great Britain.
The Cdss In America
The that being tried in America today is the
Of the president Of the United States against small dsloya
elem nt little group led by little group of wfu in
the Congress Of the United States The thing to determine
whether you are gong to respect the opinion OF your elect
whether you going to sort OF ssced attention to
the socaled sacred convictions Of little group of egosca
and wlfu men who set themselves upon high pedestal and
prate about the sacrenes Of their conviction One of these
enaors has gone far in his speech in St. Paul have
repeated the old lie which Bersto told that the usitana
loaded to the guards with munitions of war and that the
president knew this When Bernsor driven into corner
gave his authority for that the Imam who told him that
indicted for perjury, pleaded guilty. and is in the pen-
entiary Yet senator Of the United States goes to ST.
Paul and repeat this e sander and caumny against his
country You hear much about the freedom of spec ch
No attached to that than am but my friends,
freedom of speech consists in the freedom to tell the truth
wen between and you my freedom of doesn't
xtend to the point OF lying to aud If the issue be-
ween and you could be indicted for criminal libel or
ned for sander libel But is strange thing that
be indicted for slandering and beling his
nd and that cannot be indicted sued for lying
bout his president his congress and his peo
'e, While they engaged in fighting the of democ
icy absoueism and civilization against organized
rocy, it has been saidand hope it is not truethat
those senators has slandered the American people by say
that while France and Great Britain lad Germany down
stabbng her in the back thereby imputng to the
mercan people not only arocy and fasehood but coward
well hope and believe that that utterance never
from any senator of the United States moth
u else less called for less provoked less true could
| me from the mouth of any human being
| What Occurred In Europe.
Now. my fenns. came here to talk to you about the
of this First, think it would be we'll simply to
.k about the which led into it, and then to talk
bout the which precpated the world conflict in Eu
ong to talk about what occurred in Europe because is
aser for audience to enjoy things in chronological and
historical order than it is in their logical order
AS far back as 1878 want your attention The Berlin
conference met after the Russian Turkish warme at the
request Of Dsrae of Great Britain and of of Ger
maryland conclusion of this great fought by Rus
for the liberation of the Christian people the tyran
ny of Turkey atrocities of the unspeakabe Turk Russia
fleeing again the very doors of Consannople begged
liberty and freed its people. Some of them result of
he Berlin conference came under the government of the
Turk and Bosnia and Herzegovina placed under the
protection of the house of Hapsbug Now the Bosnan and
the Herzegovnans servants in and language and
religion. Little Serva had just her independence from
the government in Russia from the tyranny of the Turk
Austria gave her solemn obligation that they should have
efgoyernment under her proectorae Some years after
wards Russia gets into with Japan and is badly de-
eated demorazed Austria sezes that moment to tear up
the scrap paper which issued from the Berlin conference
which the signature of her king signed and to ncor-
porate into the Austria Hungarian empire Bosnia and erze
govna You imagine the result These people in these
two poynces were of the same blood the same religion the
same language the Leope who had just their inde
penence ro the Turk and those people in those prov
nces thought that they had Just won their freedom They
robbed of for the selfish purposes of the house
apsburg later Incorporated subject provinces and
! YOU may imagine the result.
Servia's Cruel Fate
Servans both in that province and in all old Servia were
aspiring the day wheN there should be great Serva
all people of the Servan should be united into
try. What occurrep nalfcra1y man. actuatel by this
motive resentng and hating the house of Austria
mated grand duke of that house and incidentally killed his
wife while he about it. Was it the first time that a
grand duke had been assasnaed? Was the first
time that the ruler of great people had been assassnated?
Why here have had three instances of it, Suppose that
because Booth had Lincoln that the north had
turned upon the hour of hepessness and reduced
virtual slavery My friends, Austria took advantage
that assassination pretext for the purpose of
attempting TO incorporate Serva well Bosnia and Her
zegovna within The limits of her empire, and do not
that out of any reasoning is fact of history that
ing Serva and war should follow upon the subject as tc
whether Italy would stand by the alliance with Austria
Germany for that purpose The Italian government has
publ shed Photographic copies of the original correspondence
That back 1911 Italy took the position that here
was defensive alliance and not offensive and she
would not become party that crime. What did Austrs
do then? Taking advantage of this pretex she issued
utmatum, of which Sir Eward Gray said such document
was sent from sovereign another
the world began She demanded not only that Serva shou
apologize for the death of Servan by who not
} however, Servan by nationality. but an Austrian b.
nationality that she should read the apology at th
of her army that she should break up all free presses
Serva which had word to say against Austria or in ia
should furthermore permit Austrian judges to sit with Ser
Wan Judges try Servan subjects in Servan courts
she gave AS hours-great bulyto helpless child in whc
to make response
Serva Concilidtory.
servia, contrary to all expectations, agreed to every