TaÌˆgliche Omaha tribuÌˆne. [volume] (Omaha, Nebr.) 1912-1926, 1917-10-09
THE NEXT STEP
TOWARD PEACE.
What "The New Republic,
Considered a Mouthpiece of
President Wilson, has to
Say on this Subject.

New Republic is considered to
be very friendly to, and in some
respect a mouthpiece of Pres
ident Wilson, the following ar
ticle published in the last issue
of that periodical will be Of
special interest because it
spreads light on the next step
toward peace which the Pres
ident is likely to contemplate,
and which is said to imply the
formal agreeing Of the Allied
Powers in the terms contained
IN the Presidents note:
The Pan-G ermanists and the
irreconcilable militarists in the
United States and the Allied
countries are in agreement as
10 the effect, if not as to the
spirit, of the Presidents reply
to the Pope. America will dis
cuss peace with a German gov
eminent that is responsible to
the German people, What Yam.
kee effrontery, cry the Pan-Ger-
manists. AS if Germany could
make the slightest change in
her domestic Institutions under
foreign dictation. Plainly Pres
ident Wilson intends to carry
the war to the bitter end. What
consummate diplomacy, cry the
extreme militarists in the Allied
countries. Germany will of
course refuse to make any
change in her constitution. The
war will go on to the bitter end,
with the result of eliminating
Germany as a great Power, and
the onus of the wars continu-
ance is made to rest on Germany
herself.
No graver misinterpretation
of the Presidents purposes can
be conceived. The condition he
lays down as a preliminary to
peace negotiations may be UNI
precedented as the world wal
itself is unprecedented. 1t is abb
surd to regard it as humiliating
to the German people. We are
willing to trust the German
people to abstain from breaking
the worlds peace wantonIy.
They know what wars cost
them. We are not willing to
trust an intriguing military
clique, surrounding an ambitious
dynasty, who may gain power
and prestige by war, however
disastrous it may be to the peo-
pie. We are not demanding a
German revolution. We are not
insisting upon the expulsion of
the Hohenzollerns. W. are not
proselytizing for democracy. So
far as purely domestic affairs
are concerned, the Germans may
preserve such remnants of feu-
dalism and absolutism as seem
good to them. But it is not a
matter of purely domestic con-
Germ where the power of peace
and war is lodged. This is a
lesson that the whole world, in
GLIDING Germany, has learned
in the last three years.
But suppose that Germany
were ready to meet the condi-
ton laid down by the President
las she may before many
months have elapsed-could we
assure her the generous terms
Of peace outlined in the Pres
ident's reply7 We do not desire
punitive indemnities, nor the
ACKNOWLEDGMENT of empires, nor
the exclusion of any people from
the benefits of world trade. But
what do England, France, Italy
and Japan desire? Will they
subscribe to our remuneration of
vengeance, or will they hold
special claims Of their own in
reserve?
In laying down conditions
upon which we are willing to
discuss peace we are not merely
seeking to define our own posi-
ton. We are seeking to give
moral support to those political
forces in Germany that make
for a realization of those con-
ditions. We are willing to make
peace with a German nation de-
mocratized as TO its foreign af.
fairs, and we wish to hasten the
process OF characterization in
every practicable way. But can
alone offer to the de-
mocratic elements in German {
politics anything that will ma
terially advance them in their !
striving for power? This does
not appear probable. I
If we rest our case with the ]
Presidents declaration, the libe l
raj leaders in Germany VIII re-
main under the political neces !
sity of condemning its terms