Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1918-07-19


and cannot forego"
II was not until after the telegram
Of March was signed that the Presi-
dent called an extra session of Con-
gress for April is, 1917. In that call
he gave no intlmatlon Of any purpose
to ask for a declaration Of war, on the
contrary he gave as his purpose that
he might have Congress In counsel o.
matters pertaining 20 the merohan
marine
On March II, 1917, three American
! vessels were sunk by submarines and
several others shortly thereafter. On
! March 81, 1917, the President issued
his second call for an extra session OF
Congress, in which he reduced the
date from April 16 to April 2, and
made 1t perfectly clear In this call
that the situation had grown so seri.
GUS that war was inevitable. believe
that Woodrow Wilson issued this call
on the very day he first realized that
war was inevitable, and l do not be-
| lieve he abandoned hope of averting
war until that time The attack made
March II, 1917, on American vessels
was the overt act which resulted In
war.
call upon my opponent to answer
whether he considers that the Presi-
dent of the United States was un-
| American or pro-Germsn when he sua-
| gested and declared on Feb. &c ana
March 5 and March 10 that he hoped
and desired to keep the United States
out of the European war. ! challenge
him to say whether he asserts that
the President of the United States put
the stamp of his approval upon the
crimes against Belgium and the sink
ing of the Lusitania because he then
still cherished the hope that the coun-
try might be kept out of the European
war, without the sacrifice of honor or
the surrender Of principles.
Germany and England.
But my opponent points out one
sentence in this telegram and charges
that it brands the signers of the teie-
gram as pro-German and un-Ameri-
can. The substance of that sentence
Is that the signers of the telegram
considered that the aggression OF Ger
many and England against the law of
nations differ only in methods. Fol-
lowing. the sentence OF which COM
plant is made and in the same para
graph there is the assertion that the
German naval decree followed the
English decree closing large areas in
the North Sea to neutral shipping, and
the notice that mine fields had been
placed which endangered neutral YES
sells which might attempt to sail those
seas. 1t is perfectly absurd and en-.
tirely unwarranted to say that the
signers of the telegram meant to con
done the atrocities of Germany in the
sinking of the Lusitania. DID NOT
THEN NOR HAVE | SINCE CON.
DoNED THE GERMAN ATROcI-
TIES; AND MY OPPONENT WELL
KNOWS 1T. 1t was no more the pur.
pose to condone these acts of Ger,
many that it was the purpose of the
President of the United States when
Oh Jan. %, 1917, he delivered to Con
gress- his message in which he de-
clared it was essential to the future
| RSuSC olO vi tiC SOuhlIy ina
1.-The war should end without victory
to either group of combatants."
When l signed the telegram March
s, 1917, l hoped that the United States
mignr be kCpG out of war and ex
pressed that i-Cpe to the President.
expressly declared to the President
that we should be kept out of war only
| nnt,ll no with he
render of principle or sacrifice Of
honor. My opponent in the race refers
to this telegram in the following Ian
guage: "IF THE KAISER WE'RE TC
LAND AT NEW YORK HE WOULD
GREET SENATOR WHITLEY ANE
HIS FELLOW SIGNERS OF THE
TELEGRAM AS HENCHMEN." Thi:
charge is made in the face of the fac
that my opponent well knows thaI
from the time the Germans committed
the overt act which led the President
to ask from Congress a declaration o.
a state of war against Germany have
heen active in the prosecution of wal
, activities, and have contributed to the
full measure of my ability to the pros
ecution of the war. CHARGE THAT
EVERYs STATEMENT AND EVERY
INSINUATION AND SUGGESTION
MADE BY MY OPPONENT AND HIS
SUPPORTERS THAT HAVE EVEF
BEEN UN-AMERICAN OR DISLOY
AL IN ANY DEGREE, IS PUT OUT
BY THEM WITH THE FULL CON
VlCTION IN THEIR OWN MINDS
THAT THEY ARE' INDUCING IN