The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1916-05-31
WILSON WOULD
LIKE TO BRING PEACE
In An Address mt Washington Ike
Gives the Reasons for Americas In.
tcrcst and Probable Peue Tccrms.


United states was ready to join in any
feasible association OF nations to pre-
serve the peace Of the world against
political ambition and selfish hostili-
| ty," and in serving OF "a common or
der, a common justice and q common
peace. He expressed the hope that
the terms Of peace which end the war
would include such an arrangement.
Outlining suggestions for peace,
which the president said he hoped the
United States would make if it had
opportunity to do so, he included pro
vision for absolute freedom of the
seas, q 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 indepcn-
dencc.
Officials interpreted the presidents
address as a preliminary feclcr for
peace in Europe. He outlined the con-
ditions on which the United States
would move if it made formal me-
diatory offer with the idea, it was un-
dcrstood, Of learning how such sug-
gestionS would be received abroad.
Il am sure" said the president,
that the people Of the United States
would wish their government to move
along these lines.
First, such settlement with re-
gard to their own immediate interests
as the bcllgcrcnts may agree upon.
We have nothing material of any kind
to ask for ourselves, and are quite
aware that we are in no sense or de-
gree parties to the present quarrel
Our interest is only in peace and its
future guarantees.
Second, a universal association Of
the nations to maintain the inviolatc
security of the highway of the seas for
the common and unhndcrcd use of all
the nations Of the world and to pre-
vent any war begun either contrary to
treaty covenants or without warning
and full submission of the causes to
the opinion of the world-a virtual
guarantee Of territorial integrity and
political independence"
The Fundamentals of Pence.
The fundamentals of a lasting
peace, President Wilson said he be-
lievcd, were:
! First, that every people has right
to choose the sovereignty under which
l. shn1 II, .,
the president said, "we have ourselves
no doubt one and again offended
against that principle when for a lit
tie while controlled by selfish passion,
as our frankcr historian have been
honorable enough to admit; but it has
/ become more and more our rule of life
and action.
| Second that tho 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
insist upon.
and third, that the world has a
right to be free from every disturb
ancc OF its peace that has its origin
in aggression and disregard OF the
rights OF peoples 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 accOmDlishl noth
ing else for the benefit OF the world, >
he said, 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
/ tcranccs OF the leading statesmen OF
most of the great nations now en-
gagged in war have made it plain that
their thought has come to this, that
the principle OF public right must
| hcnccforth take precedence over the
! individual interests of particular ma
| tons and that the nations OF the
! world must in some way band them
selves together to see that that right
prevails as against any sort Of selfish
aggression; that hcnccforth alliance
must not be set up against alliance,
understanding against understanding
but that there must be common
agreement for common object, and
| that at the heart OF that common OBJ
jcct must lie the inviolablc rights of
| peoples and Of mankind"