The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1916-06-01
Wilson Outlines His
Idea Of. World Peace

! Washington, May II. President
Wilson declared here tonight before
the League to Enforce Peace that the
United States was ready to join in
any feasible association of nations tc
preserve the peace of the world
against political ambition and selfish
hostility" and in service of "a common
ORDER common justice and common
peace" He expressed the hope that
the terms of eace which end the
present war would include such ar.
rangement.
Outlining suggestions for peace
which the president said he hoped the
United States would make if it has
opportunity to do so, he included pro-
vision for absolute freedom of the
seas, a contention which has been the
keystone of all the diplomatic discus
sions with Germany and Great Brit
ain, and virtual guarantees of terri
torial integrity and political independ-
ence.
Il am sure" said the president,
that the people of the United States
would wish their government to move
along these lines: First, such a set.
Element with regard to their own i'm
mediate interests as the belligirents
may agree upon. We have nothing
material Of any kind to ask for our.
selves, and are quite aware that we
are in no sense or degree parties to
the present quarrel. Our interest is
only in peace and it's future guaran-
Gee.
Second, universal association of
the nations to maintain the inviolate
security Of the highway of the seas
for the common and unhindered use of
all the nations of the world, and to
prevent any war begun either con-
trary to treaty covenants or without
warning, and full submission of the
causes to the opinion Of the world-a
virtual guarantee of territorial integ-
rity and political independence"
The fundamentals of a lasting peace,
President Wilson said he believed
were: First, that every people has
right to choose the sovereignty un-
der which they shall live. Like other
nations" the president said, 1--WE have
ourselves no doubt once and again
offended against that principle when
for little while controlled by selfish
passion as our franker historians have
been honorable enough to admit, but
it has become more and more our rule
of life and action.
Second, that the small states of the
world have right to enjoy the same
respect for their sovereignty and for
their territorial integrity that great
and powerful nations expect and in
sist upon.
"And third, that the world has a
right to be free from every disturb
ance If it's peace that has it's origin
in aggression and disregard of the RI
gin of people and nations"
The outstanding lesson of the world
war, the president said, had been that
the peace Of the world must hence
forth depend upon a new and more
wholesome diplomacy"
IF this war has accomplished no.
thing else for the benefit of the world"
said he, 1T has at least disclosed a
great moral necessity and set forward
the thinking of the statesmen of the
world by whole age. Repeated ut.
terances of the leading statesmen of
most of the great nations now engaged
In war have made it plain that their
thought has come to this, that the
principle of public right must hence
forth take precedence over the indi.
vidual interests of particular nations
and that the nations of the world
must in some way band themselves to-
gether and see that that right prevails
against any sort of selfish aggression:
that henceforth alliance must not be
set up against alliance, but that there
must be a common agreement for
common object Of people and of man.
kind"
$50 sincerely do we believe in these
things" said the president in conclu.
sion, that am sure that speak the
mind and wish Of the people Of Amer
lea when say that the United States
is willing to become partner in any
feasible association of nations formed
in order to realize these objects and
make them secure against violation"
The president told his hearers he
had not come to discuss a program,
but only to avow a creed and give ex-
preston to his confidence that the
world was approaching day when