marked the progress of their affairs
towards an ordered and stable government of free men might have been
avoided. The Russian people have been poisoned by the very same
falsehoods that have kept the German people in the dark, and the poison
has been administered by the very same hands. The only possible antidote
is the truth. It cannot be uttered too plainly or too often.

From every point of view, therefore, it has seemed to be my duty to
speak these declarations of purpose, to add these specific
interpretations to what I took the liberty of saying to the Senate in
January. Our entrance into the war has not altered our attitude towards
the settlement that must come when it is over. When I said in January
that the nations of the world were entitled not only to free pathways
upon the sea but also to assured and unmolested access to those pathways
I was thinking, and I am thinking now, not of the smaller and weaker
nations alone, which need our countenance and support, but also of the
great and powerful nations, and of our present enemies as well as our
present associates in the war. I was thinking, and am thinking now, of
Austria herself, among the rest, as well as of Serbia and of Poland.
Justice and equality of rights can be had only at a great price. We are
seeking permanent, not temporary, foundations for the peace of the world
and must seek them candidly and fearlessly. As always, the right will
prove to be the expedient.

What shall we do, then, to push this great war of freedom and justice to
its righteous conclusion? We must clear away with a thorough hand all
impediments to success and we must make every adjustment of law that
will facilitate the full and free use of our whole capacity and force
as a fighting unit.

One very embarrassing obstacle that stands in our way is that we are at
war with Germany but not with her allies. I therefore very earnestly
recommend that the Congress immediately declare the United States in a
state of war with Austria-Hungary. Does it seem strange to you that this
should be the conclusion of the argument I have just addressed to you?
It is not. It is in fact the inevitable logic of what I have said.
Austria-Hungary is for the time being not her own mistress but simply
the vassal of the German Government. We must face the facts as they are
and act upon them without sentiment in this stern business. The
government of Austria-Hungary is not acting upon its own initiative or
in re