Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-06-06 | Page 3 | Lansing Predicts Complete Victory

LAB PREDICTS CDMPLETE VICTORY Says War Must Be Waged Regardless of Peace Suggestions Sug-gestions and Scolds. NEW YORK, June 5. Suggestions of peace based on a "perpetuation of Prus-sianism Prus-sianism and criticisms of the government govern-ment and the conduct of the war "which are not constructive," were condemned by Secretary of Stat Lansing here today. to-day. Prussia having "wickedly sought war," the secretary said, it is the determination determina-tion of the American people that "Prussia shall have war and more war, and more war, until the very thought of war is abhorrent to the Prussian mind." Mr. Lansing spoke at the commencement commence-ment exercises of Columbia university, which conferred upon him and upon Lord Reading, the British ambassador, the honorary degree of doctor of laws. "In the -gigantic task of waging the war," Secretary Lansing said, "let us not continually look behind to see where we stumbled, but let us look forward so that we do not stumble again. For the critic of public affairs who is manifestly inspired in-spired by political or selfish motives, by conceit or by a desire for notoriety, I have a profound contempt. "As we turn deaf ears to common scolds at home, so we must not relent our efforts to listen to insincere suggestions sug-gestions of peace filtering through from Germany, by various channels. A Prussian Prus-sian peace would only postpone the final struggle. "It is the supreme task of crvilization to put an end to Prussianism. To listen to proposals for a Prussian peace, to compromise with the butchers of individuals indi-viduals or nations so that they would by agreement gain a benefit by their crime would be to compound an international felony, which this republic will never do." Mr. Lansing declared that force is the only way "to end Pru.sslariism because it is the only thing which the Prussian respects." re-spects." He recognized the enemy as strong and stubborn and predicted a bitter bit-ter struggle, but predicted "a day of complete com-plete victory, for the supreme ruler of the universe could not decree otherwise. He has imposed upon us and our allies the task of freeing mankind from the curse of avarice and inhumanity." Lord Reading rated the wisdom and justice of President Wilson as one of the greatest assets of the allies in the war. He termed England the home of "that justice which has won the admiration admira-tion of the world," and said the colonists of pre-revolutionary days had brought it to this continent.