The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1917-09-06
WILSON REJECTS
PEACE. PROPOSALS
Presidents Reply to PROPOSE.
tion Of Pope Benedict
GERMAN MENACE MUST GO
President Declares Such a Peace Plan
As the Pope Suggests Would Give
Present Military Masters OF Ger
many An Opportunity To Recuperate
In Their right For World Domina-
ton.

many Nn opportunity 10 HeCupcTdtc
In Their tight For World Domina-
ton.
iLgton.-Presiden Wilson has
rejected the Pope's peace proposals.
In note dispatched Monday night,
and made public here Tuesday, the
President says that while every heart
not blinded and hardened by the ter.
rible war must be touched by the NOV
ing appeal Of His Holiness, it would
be folly to take the path of peace he
points out If 1t does not in fact lead
TO the goal he proposes.
Permanent peace must be based
upon the faith of all the peoples and
upon justice and fairness and the com
mon rights of mankind, he adds, and
I'VE cannot take the word of the pres
ent rulers Of Germany as guarantee
of anything that is to endure unless
explicitly supported by such con-
elusive evidence Of the will and pur-
pose OF the German people themselves
as the other peoples of the world would
be justified in accepting"
The Presidents Note.
The text Of the note follows:
August 27, 1917"
ITO His Holiness, Benedict XIV, Pope:
"In acknowledgment Of the COM
munication of Your Holiness to the
belligerent peoples, dated August /,
1917, the President of the United
States requests me to transmit the fol-
lowing reply:
Every heart that has not been
blinded and hardened by this terrible
war must be touched by this moving
appeal of His Holiness the Pope, must
feel the dignity, and force of the hui
name and generous motives which
prompted it, and must fervently wish
that we might take the path Of peace
he SO persuasively points out. But 1t
would be folly to take it II 1t does not
in fact lead to the goal he proposes.
Our response must be based upon the
stern facts and upon nothing else. 1t
is not mere cessation of arms he de-
sires; ii is a stable and enduring
peace. This agony must not be gone
through with again, and 1t must be a
matter of very sober judgment what
will insure US against it.
Would Foil Wars Purpose.
"His Holiness in substance proposes
that we return to the status quo ante
bellum, and that then there be gen.
eral combination, disarmament and a
concert of nations, based upon an ac'
ceptance Of the principle of arbitra.
ton; that by a similar concert free
dom of the seas be established, and
that the territorial claims of France
and Italy, the perplexing problems OF
the Balkan states, and the restitution
of Poland be left to such conciliatory
adjustments as may be possible in the
new temper of such a peace, due re,
gard being paid to the aspirations OF
the peoples whose political fortunes
and affiliations will be involved.
1T is manifest that no part of this
program can be successfully carried
out unless the restitution of the status
quo ante furnishes firm and satisfac
tory basis for It. The object of this
war is to deliver the free peoples OF
the world from the menace and the
actual power of vast military estab
lishment, controlled by an irrespons
ible government which, having secret
| ly planned to dominate the world, pro
| ceeded to carry out the plan without
regard either to the sacred obligations
of treaty or the long-established prac
tees and long.cherished principles o.
international action and honor; whicf
chose It's own time for the war, de
livered its blow fiercely and suddenly
stopped at no barrier either of law o.
mercy; swept whole continent with
in the tide of blood-not the blood o
soldiers only, but the blood of limo
cent women and children also, and o
the helpless poor, and now stands
balked, but not defeated, the enemy o
four-ffths of the world. This power Il
not the German people. 1t is the ruth
less master of the German people. |
is no business of ours how that grea
people came under its control or sub
mitted with temporary zest to tn
domination of its purpose; but it i
our business to see to 1t that the his
tory of the rest of the world is n
longer left to its handling.
Cannot Trust German Rulers.
"To deal with such power by wa
of peace upon the plan proposed b
His Holiness the Pope would, so ia
as we can see, involve recuperatio
of its strength and renewal of 1t
policy; would make it necessary t
create permanent hostile combine
ton of nations against the Germa
people, who are its instruments; an
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