Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-04-08

nieep9nslple government, which, having
secretly planned to dominate the world,
proceeded to carry out the plan without
regard either to the sacred OBLIGATIONS
Of treaty or the long established prac-
ices and long cherished principles Of In
power is not the German an people. Il us IS
tne ruthless master OF the German peo-
Rte az 7 Is our business to see to
world is no longer left to its handIlnq,D
President Wilson, August 81, 1917.
WE FIGHT FOR PEACE AND FOR
SELF-RESPECT.
What sort Of a peace does Germany
hope to secure? That can be an
swered in a sentence: a peace which
will enable her to fulfH in the aegt
. a the aims she has failed to fhE-
MI in this. What is the peace the
Allies wish? Again the answer is
brief: a peace that will make sure
that ut shall not happen again"
This war has already killed mot
MANNED or wounded) over 5000, 900
young and vigorous men, yet Germany
still believes that war is essential to
human progress, and that any act,
however ~atrocious, is permissible SO
long as it is an act Of war. Against
that theory America has set her will.
Does anyone still doubt that. Ger.
many believes in war? Here are four
leaders Of Germany speaking: "Per-
petual peace is a dream, and 1t is not
even a beautiful dream; war forms
part of the eternal order instituted
by God."s "a long peace not only
leads to excavation, but allows of the
existence of a multitude Of pitiful,
trembling, miserable creatures
who cling fast to life with loud cries
about their right to exist, block the
way for real strength, make the air
fetid, and altogether defle the blood
of the nation" "The worst Of hypoc-
risies is the participation by Ger
many in The Hague Conference" I'VE
must not look for permanent peace as
a result of this war. Heaven defend
| Germany from that" And Treitschke,
the h-istorian-tutor to the military
class of Germany, taught over and
over again that war was the only
means of achieving world leadership
| that war "is to be conceived as an
| ordinance set by Cod; that war is
Just and moral, and that the idea of
eternal peace is both unjust and i'm.
moral and impossible"
These theories, put in practice, have
made of Germany the Cain of civiliza.
tion-"his hand against every mans
hand" In self-defense and in mere
self-reSpect, America was forced to
strike back. We could not sit still
when we realized that it was our duty
Ito be and to remain the out-spoken
moral opponents of the present Ger
man policy, and of the German State,
so long as it holds this present pol
icy, and carries on it's present war.
/. Germany, as at present dis
posed, is the willful and deliberate
enemy of the human race" (Josiah
Royce.)
But if there be any who have not
this larger vision of the issues of the
war-who are not moved to stake all
on the abstract justice of our cause
then let them ask themselves what
seIt-reSpect as q nation demands Of
America. and of true Americans, under
the treatment we received from Ger
many.
When the European war came In
1914. and while we were still neutral,
what insult was not heaped upon our
self respect? The Austrian Ambassa'
dor, Dumba, plotted to organize strikes
in our munitions factories, and to buy
up a~gitators to incite workmen to dis
content. German spies, now convicted
and in Jail, have admitted that they
worked under the direction of high
German officials to commit acts in
violation of our neutrality. Some of
these same Officials have admitted the
expenditure of millions of dollars In
illegal operations conducted Gin di-
rect defiance of our laws, and in lnso'
lent disregard Of international diplo-
courtesy The catalogue OF
German crimes in America, and of
German agents amongst us, while we
were still neutral. if published in full,
would be astounding almost to dis
belief.
The German acts have startled us at
last to the knowledge that the nation
which permits them without resent
ment is no nation in that essential
quality of patriotism self respect.
Without that quality, we are but a
mass of disorganized peoples, having
no influence in world affairs, and Ill
timateIy at the mercy of that state
which best knows how to carry on
shameless intrigues amongst us. Ger
is that state. We are fighting
in the hope of saving the world from
her immoral ideals; but We are also.
fighting to restore our self respect.
This is the eighth Of a series of
terse articles by Professor Adams.)