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Show THE EFFECT. We ask ourselves with abaorbed intcr-6At intcr-6At what will be the effect of President Wilson's proclamation of war aim a. We know that his mcsaago could not have been uttered by the statesman of any other nation. ISot in London, in Paris, in Rome, in Berlin, in Vienna or in Pet rograd could the ideals of justice, of liberty, of merer, of genorosity, of democracy de-mocracy and humanity have found such expression. We know that they could not, because they have not been expressed ex-pressed with such clarity, wisdom and appeal. It ia not that President Wilson is the ablost among the statesmen whose geniuses have been called into play by the war, but rather that America the America of Washington, of Jefferson and of Lincoln is speaking through the president. To us it is an old mossage; to the world it is still new, for amid the aristocratic aristo-cratic and autocratic contentions and turmoils of 'European wars and politics, the voices of our forefathers have been drowned out in a pandemonium. But when wc hear the president demanding that the war shall go on, we can hear once more the pntient voice of Lincoln replying; to the faint hearted, the lukewarm luke-warm and the self-seekers of his day, telling them that the war must continue until tho union should be safe and slavery slav-ery forever stamped out of American life. jo reverses in the present war have been more disastrous, more bitter titan those which the armies of the north suffered at the hands of Lee, Jackson, Longstreet and Johnstone. Thero were times when the people of the south were ns confident that God was fighting on their side as tho kaiser is that the "good old German God'' is winning world dominion for Prussianism. After I ho battle of Fredericksburg, when ftlocim had once more settled down upon the north, an Ohio congressman penned the words: ''"tt would almost seem that God works for the rebels and keeps alive their cause." But while John Brown's body was mouldering in the grave his soul was mar-'hing on. " Xo thoughtful American opened his morning paper without dreading to find that he had no longer a country to love and honor,'" said Lowell at one time. Who doubts today that riht triumphed tri-umphed and that the God of justice and mercy had been, as Lowell wrote in-one of his poems, "keeping watch above His own. ' ' It is just this keynote of the presi-"ient's presi-"ient's speech the demand for justice among tho nations, for the fallen as well as for the victor that will appeal to humanity everywhere. It is no weak 1 plea for a relation of hostilities, no argument that wrongdoing shall go tin- I punished or that the wrongdoer shall not be required to make reparation and restitution. On the contrary, it is a horoii' call to the warriors of eiviliza-I eiviliza-I inn to fight on. 'H is impossible to apply any standard stand-ard of justice so long as such forces are unchecked and undefeated as the pres- i r-nt masters of Germany command,"' i says the president. "But when that: lias been done as, God willing, it as- j Miredly will be we shall at last be free j to do an unprecedented thing, and this; is the time to avow our purpose to do ! it. We shall be free to bae peace on j ucnerosity and justice, to the exclusion of all selfish claims to advantage even j on the part of the victor. Let there! be no misutrMerstanding. Our present ' and immediate task is to win the war, 1 and nothing shall turn us aside from it ! until it is accomplished. Kvprv power' and resource we possess. whether of' men. of money, or of materials, is being ! devoted raid will continue to be devoted 1 fo that purpose until it is achieved. : Those who desire to bring peace about i hefore That purpose is achieve.!, 1 ,-oun- I .-el to carry their advice elsewhere." j The president then defines what he 1 'Means, and what he believes the A men- y.n people mean bv victory. Tb" Ger- nan people, through a government that an be trusted, inu-t declare that they . kc " ready to agree to a settlement 1 ?ased upon justice and the reparation i jf tbevrongs their rulers have done. ' ' j tVnd nen such a peace is made Ger-' mri n v will be ad"rn it tf d on nqua! tfrrrs v,ih all th: na'inn- to that, pa rt u1 rsh ; p wliirh 'niu-.t hr-ii'-cforth g iarante the v. orld s p'-a.''1. ' ' But if fuo Gcrn.an people fontinuf to b '-on t rr-f . ! y,y rul'T thp world fannot , f.riL-t, titv ruN-r.T who will scheme and pi a u for r lorn i u ion t h rough other- wri ,-f-, .it will he iip.-c--a "-' to exclude Germany ' not oulv from the Iague of pt-arp but Irorn the free economic inWconrHP con -fio to the other nations. In thi there U a hint of "war aftr the war." but the waging of srn-h warfare is made to depend olclv upon tht? German peo-fdtf peo-fdtf th.'ios'dei. It is for them to d- (fi.e whether they shall ac-ppt equality among ti:e nations or whether they shall still strive for dominion. |