The Washington times., 1917-01-22

among organized nations. No peace
can last. or ought to last, which does
not recognize and accept the principle
that governments derive all their just
powers from the consent of the gov
erned, and that no right anywhere
exists to hand peoples about from
sovereignty to sovereignty af If they
were property. / take it for grant
ed, for. instance, IL l may venture
upon a single example, that statesmen
everywhere are agreed that there
should be a united, independent, and
autonomous Poland, and that hence
forth inviolable security of life, OF
worship, and of industrial and social
development should be guaranteed to
all peoples who have lived hitherto
under the power of governments de-
voted to a faith and purpose hostile
to their own.
Would Uncover Realities.
Speak of this, not because OF any
desire to exalt an abstract political
principle which has always been held
very dear by those who have sought
to build up liberty in America, but
for the same reason that l have
spoken of thes other conditions of
peace which seem to me clearly, in
spensable-because l wish frankly
to uncover realities. Any peace which
does not recognize and accept this
principle will inevitably be upset. 1t
will not rest upon the affection or
the convictions of mankind. The fer
ment of spirit of whole populations
will fight subtly and constantly
against 1t. and all the world will
sympathize. The. world can be at
peace only IL its life is stable. and
there can be no stability where the
will Is in rebellion, where there is
not tranquility of spirit and sense
of Justice. of freedom, and of right.
Direct Outlet to Sea.
So far as practicable, moreover,
every great people now struggling
toward a full development of Its re-
sources and of its powers should pc
assured a dierct outlet to the great
highways of the sea Where TINS
cannot be done by the cession OF ter
ritory. il can no doubt be done by the
naturalization of direct rights of way
under the general guarantee which
will assure the peace itself. win
right comfy of arrangement no ma
ton need be shut away fr2m free
access to the open paths Vof the
worlds commerce.
Paths Must BE Free.
And the paths of the sea must alike
in law and in fact be free. The free
dom of the seas is the sine qua non OF
peace. equality, and cooperation. NO
doubt a somewhat radical reconstdera-
tion of many az the rules OF intcrna-
tional practice hitherto thought to be
established may be necessary in order
to make the seas indeed free and conf
mon in practi .aIly all circumstances
for the use of mankind, but the mo
tive for such changes Is convincing
and compelling. There can be no
trust or intimacy between the peoples
of the world without them. The free,
constant, vi threatened int ercours3 or
nations is an essential part "f The
pr1cess of peace and of development
II need not be difficult either to de-
| fine or to secure the freedom OF the
seas If the governments OF the world
sincerely desire to come to an agree
ment concerning it.
Opens Wider Question.
1t is a promleb closely connected
with the limitation OF naval arma-
ments and the cooperation of the
navies OF the world in keeping the
seas at once free and safe. And the
question of limiting naval ornaments
aments opens the wider and persaps
more difficult question fthe limlta-
| ton farmies and of all programs
of military preparation. DIFFICULT
and delicate as these questions are,
they must be faced with the utmost
| candour, and decided in a spirit OF
real accommodation IL peace Is TO
| come with healing in its kings, and
/ he mad
without concession and sacrifice:
There can be no sense of safety and
| equality among the nations If great
| accommodating ornaments are hence
| forth to continue here and there to
be built up and maintained. The
statesmen of the world must plan for
peace and nations must adjust ana
accomate their policy to 1t as they
have planned for war and made ready
| for pitiless contest and rivalry. The
question of araments, whether on
| land or sea, is the most immediate
and intensely practical question con.
nected with the future fortunes OF
| nations and OF mankind.
Speaks without Reserve.
have spoken upon these great
natters without reserve and with the
utmost explicitness because 1t has
seemed to me to be necessary II the
worlds yearning desire for peace was
| anywhere to find free voice and utter
ance. Perhaps / am the only person
| in high authority amongst all the
peoples of the world who is at liberty
to speak and hold nothing back. l
am speaking as an individual. and yet
am speaking also, of course. as the
responsible head of a great, govern
ment, and feel confident that ] have
said what the people of the United
States would wish me to say. May l
-. IA tba@ hona and heIieye that I