The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-08-29
WILSON REJECTS
NEGOTIATIONS
continued prom Page one.

Z Continued From Page One.
the German people. 1t is no business
of ours how that great people came
under its control or submitted with
temporary zest to the domination of
its purpose; but it is our business
to see to it that the history of the
rest of the world is no longer left to
its handling.
Would Recuperats.
ITO deal with such power by
way Of peace on the plan proposed
by His Holiness. the Pope, would, SO
far as we can see. involve a recup-
Grafton of its strength and a renew
al of its policy; would make it nee
essary to create a permanent hostile
combination of nations against the
German people who are its instru-
ments and would result in abandon
ing the newborn Russia to the in
trigue, the manifold subtle Interfere
ence and the certain counter revolu-
ton which would be attempted by
all the malign influences to which
the German government has of late
accustomed the world. Can peace be
based upon restitution Of its pow
er or upon any word Of honor it
could pledge in treaty of settle
ment and Accommodation?
Responsible statesmen must now
everywhere see, If they never saw
before that no peace can rest Sc
curely upon political or economic
restrictions meant to benefit some
nations and cripple and embarrass
others, upon vindictive action Of any
sort or any kind of revenge or de-
liberate injury. The American people
have suffered intolerabIe wrongs at
the hands Of the imperial German
government but they desire no re-
prisalr upon the German people who
have, themselves suffered ali things
in this war, which they did not
choose. They believe that peace
should rest upon the rights of peo-
pies. not the rights of governments
the rights of peoples great or small,
weak or powerful equal right
to freedom and security and self
government and to a participation
upon fair terms in the economic OBJ
portunities of the wor1d-the Ger
man people of course included, if
they will accept equality and not
Seek uOlulHdllOn. rs -
Test OF Any Peace Plan.
THE test, therefore, of every plan
of peace is this: Is IL based upon
the faith of all the peoples involved
or merely upon the word of an ann
bilious and intriguing government
on the one hand and Of a group of
free peoples on the other. This Is a
test which goes to the root of the
matter and 1t is the test which must
be applied.
THE purposes Of the United
States in this war are known to the
whole world--to every people to
whom the truth has been permitted
to come. They do not need to be
stated again. We seek no material
of any kind. We believe
that the intolerable wrongs done in
this war by the furious and brutal
power of the imperial German gov
eminent ought to be repaired but not
at the expense of the sovereignty of
any people rather a vindication of
the sovereignty both OF those that
are weak and those that are strong.
Punitive damages. the dIsmember-
ment of empires. the establishment
Of selfish and exclusive economic
leagues we deem inexpedient and in
the end worse than futile, no proper
basis for a. peace of any Kind, least
Of all for an enduring peace. That
must be based upon Justice and fair
ness and the common rights Of man
kind.
I'VE cannot take the word of the
present rulers Of Germany as a
guarantee of anything that is to en-
dure unless explicitly supported by
such conclusive evidence OF the will
and purpose of the German people
themselves as the other peoples Of
the world would be justified in ac-
cepting. Without such guarantees,
treaties of settlement. agreements
for disarmament, covenants to set
up arbitration In the place Of force. |
territorial adjustments; reconstitu-
tons OF small nations, If made with
the German government no man, no
nation could now depend on, We must
await some new evidence Of the pur-
poses Of the great peoples OF the
Central powers. GOD grant vt may be
given soon and in a way to restore
the confidence Of all peoples every
where in the faith of nations and
the possibility of covenaIlted peace. |
ROBERT LANSING,
Secretary of State of the |
United States nf America"
II