The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-02-27

tiOnal discussion of the ten demands
could possibly take place in As hours.
The world was shocked and the mid
summer calm broading over Europe
was dispelled. England, France, and
Russia sought to have the time limit
extended. They failed. They then
urged Serbia to make her reply as
conciliatory as her self respect would
permit This she did. She yielded to
the majority Of the demands and Of
fered in case Austria were not salts
fled with her reply, to refer the whole
matter to The Hague Tribunal or to a
conference of the Great Powers. This
was an eminently fair proposition and
would have been accepted by any hon
est government not bent upon proyok-
ing war, 1t was rejected, however,
arrogantly and contemptuously, and
as we now know at the. instigation Of
he imperial German government.
The Great War. Was On.
Events, in that remarkable week,
followed each other: with bewildering
rapidity.: Austria began war upon
Serbia on July 2Sth, five days after
the ultimatum.. Russia. modified for
the protection of Serbia and Germany
demanded that she, demobilize. within
twelve hours. Russia ignored the de-
mand and the great war was on. lst
I've should not lose sight of the
circumstances under which we en-
tered the Great War on the 9Th of
April, 1917. We did not enter the
war in a spirit of adventure. We are
peaceful, not militaristic people.
We had no false national pride in the
matter. We were not nursing an Of
Tended honor such as impels duel
list to offer battle. 1t was not a quib-
Bile over International law that caus-
ed us to take UP arms or even the
fragrant and persistent violations of
our rights as a neutral nation. It
was not the shameless German in
trigue, irritating and illegal though. it
was, that impelled us to war. It was
not for commercial or territorial gain
or for conquest in any form. Read
over carefully the fourteen demands
in President Wilson's statement on
war aims and you will see that he
asks nothing for ourselves. It was
not because our property had been
estroyed and not entirely because
the lives Of our citizens were being
sacrificed by an illegal and inhuman
submarine warfare Fundamentally,
and in the last analysis we went into
this war for three reasons. In the
first place, being chivalrous men who
love justice and hate iniquity, we
could not stay our hand when funda-
mental human rights were being bru-
tally and Systematically outraged,
when women and children were dy
ing, and when mercy and justice were
being driven out of Europe. In the
second place We took up arms be-
cause that political liberty won at
Valley Forge and Yorktown and that
democracy established by Washington
and preserved by Lincoln were in
danger of extinction; and in third
place-we might as well frankly adj;
NIT tive took up arms in self-de-,
Tense. Let us not delude ourselves
further The evidence is unmistak.|
able We ought to see by this time
that If the allies in Europe were de-.
feated the American continent would
be the next theater of action for the
kaiser and his bloody cohorts. Free.
dom cannot live in America if it dies
in Europe"
One. of the publicity features. of the
evenings program was a flash light
picture of the audience seated in the
Auditorium and IS it was leaving the
building. Copies of these pictures will
be sent through the east as evidence
of the great success of the conference
and the loyalty of North Dakota.