River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-09-06
tory OF the rest of the world is no long
er left to it's handling.
No Peace on Status Quo

er left to its handling.
No Peace on Status Quo.
"To deal with such a power by way
Of peace upon the plan proposed by
His Holiness, the Pope, would, 90 far
as we can see, involve a recuperation
of it's strength and a renewal of its
policy; would make 1t necessary to
create a permanent hostile combina-
ton of nations against the German
people, who are its instruments; and
would result in abandoning the new
born Russia to the intrigue, the mani
fold subtle interference, and the GER
tain counter-resolution 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 a restitution Of
it's power 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 be-
fore, that no peace can rest securely
upon political or economic restrictions
meant to benefit some nations and Grip
pie or embarrass others, upon vindi-
cative action of any sort, or any kind
of revenge or deliberate injury.
1.-THE American people have suffer
ed intolerable wrongs at the hi IDS Of
the Imperial German governmclt, but
they desire no reprisal upon tie Ger
man people, who have themselves suf-
fered all things in this war, which they
did not choose. They believe that
peace should rest upon the rights of
peoples, not the rights Of govern
ments-t,le rights Of peoples great or
small, weak or powerful-their equal
right to freedom and security and self
government and to participation up
on fair terms in the economic oppor-
tunities Of the world-the German peo-
pie of course included, if they will
accept equality and not seek domina-
ton.
"The test, therefore, in every plan
of peace is this: Is it based upon the
faith of all peoples involved or merely
upon the word Of an ambitious and in
triguing 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 it is the
test which must be applied.
U. S. Aims Known to World.
"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 d. not need to be stated again.
We seek no material advantage of any
kind. We believe that the intoler-
able wrongs done in this war by the
furious and brutal power of the I'M
perial German government ought to
be repaired, but not at the expense
OF the sovereignty of any people
rather a vindication of the sovereign
ty both of those that are weak and
Of those that are strong. Punitive dam
ages, the Acknowledgement of empires,
the establishment of selfish and exclu-
sive economic leagues we deem expe-
dent and in the end worse than flu
tile, no proper basis for a peace Of
any kind, least of all for an enduring
peace. That must be based upon JUS
tice and fairness and the common
rights Of mankind.
I'VE cannot take the word of the
present rulers of Germany as a guar
antee of anything that is to endure,
unless explicitly supported by such
conclusive evidence of the will and
purpose of the German people them
selves as the other peoples of the
world would be justified in accepting.
Without such guarantees treaties Of
settlement, agreements for disarma-
ment, covenants to set up arbitration
in the place of force, territorial adj
justments, reconstitutions of small ma
lions, if made with the German gov
eminent, no man, no nation could now
depend on. We must wait some new
evidence of the purposes Of the great
peoples Of the Central Powers. God
grant it may be given soon and in
way to restore the confidence of all
peoples everywhere in the faith of
nations and the possibility of a COW
enanted peace.
(Signed) ROBERT LANSING,
Secretary of State of the United
States of America"