The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-02-13
in warfare against citizens Of the
United States on the seass, and I

| in warfare against citizens OF the
United States on the seass, and
take the liberty, for the present at
| least, of postponing a discussion
of our relations with the authori-
ties at Vienna. We enter this
war only where we are clearly
forced into il, because there are no
other means OF defending our
rights"
No intimation there that our sole
purpose was TO make the world safe
for democracy" On the contrary,
congress was asked to make war SOLE
ly for our own preservation and the
protection of the rights of Americans
on the sea. In short, Germany was
actually waging war against us and
we had the choice of supinely submit
ting to her outrages, as we had been
back. That was the understanding
congress had and it was imbodied in
the formal declaration of war. Here
it is. brief and to the point:
Whereas the imperial German
government has committed re-
peated acts of war against the
government and the people of the
United States Of America There
fore be it
Resolved, etc. That the state
of war between the United States
and the imperial German govern
ment which has thus been thrust
upon the United States is hereby
formally declared; and that the
president be, and he is hereby au-
thorized and directed to employ
the entire naval and military forces
of the United States and the re-
sources of the government to
carry on war against the imperial
German government; and to bring
the conflict to a successful ter
minaton all of the resources of
the country are hereby pledged
by the congress of the United
States
No reference in that to making the
world safe for democracy" That
declaration expressed without equivo-
10Y, hn Fl, I, toll,
tered the war and was so understood
by the American people. That this
was the understanding of leaders of
the presidents own party does not
admit of doubt. A few days ago Sena-
tor Hardwick, Of Georgia, spoke in
the senate on why we went to war
and closed his convincing argument in
these words:
Senators, when the prejudices
and passions Of this hour shall
have passed away and when i'm
partial history is written, no
candid or thoughtful man who has
the slightest regard for the truth
will ever again insist that this
country entered this war to demo-
cratize the world or to- make the
world safe for democracy; that 1t
entered this war for any reason on
earth except that the German
Of 1a
German government, fired upon
the American flag and murdered
American citizens upon the high
seas.
THAT was reason enough, and,
for my part, voted for that war
unhesitatingly, just as | should
have voted with no greater hes
itation for war against England,
or France. or Brazil, or Mexico,
or any other power on the face
of the earth in Europe, Asia, or
Africa, which, on the high seas.
had fired on the American flag
and murdered American citizens.
Nov, the senate, or those sem
ators, who have kindly followed
me so far in my argument will,
| think, be forced to concede in
their own minds, at least, no
matter what their votes may rep
resent, that we did not enter this
war for any other purpose ex-
cept to vindicate American honor