Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-12-07
PRESIDENT TELLS
TERMS ON WHICH
PEACE MUST REST

of the noisy, thoughtless and trouble
some. also see men here and there
fling themselves in impotent disioyaI
ty against the calm, indomitable pow
er Of the nation. hear men debate
peace who understand neither its ma
ture nor the way in which we may at
tain it, with upIifted eyes and unbro
ken spirits.
"But know that none of .cese
speak for the nation. They do moi
touch the heart Of anything. They
may safely be left to strut their un
easy hour and be forgotten.
THE PEOPLES VIEWS.
But from another point Of view
believe that it is necessary to say
plainly what we, here at the seat Of
action, consider the war to be fought
for and what part we mean to play in
the settlement of it's searching is
sues. We are the spokesman Of the
American people and they have a
right to know whether their purpose
is ours.
"They desire peace by the overcom.
ing of evil, by the defeat once for all
of the sinister forces that interrupt
peace and render it impossible, and
they wish to know how closely our
thoughts run with theirs and what
action we propose.
"They are impatient with those who
desire peace by any sort of com.
promise and Indignantly inn
patient, but they will be equally i'm
patient with us if we do not make it
plain to them what our detectives are
and what we are planning for in seek.
ing t. make conquest of peace by
arms.
must CRUSH GERMAN MENACE.
'I believe that l speak for them
when l say two things:
First that this intoierabie
thing Of which the masters Of
Germany have shown u the ugly
face, this menace Of combined In
trigue and force which we now
see SO clearly az the German
power, a thing without con-
science or honor or capacity for
covenanted peace. must be
crushed. and II it be not utterly
brought to an end, at ieast shut
out from the friendly Intercourse
Of the nations; and,
| JUSTICE is PEACE PRICE.
"Second, that when this tiina
and its power are indeed de-
fezted and the time comes that
we can discuss peace-~hen the
German people have spokesmen
whose word we can believe and
when those spokesmen are ready
In the name Of their people to
accept the common judgment Of
the nations as to what shall
henceforth be the bases Of law
and of covenant for life Of the
worid-we shall be willing and
glad to pay the full price for
peace and pay It unorudsinsIy. 4:
I'VE know what that price will be.
| 1t will be full, impartial Justice
justice done at every point and to
every nation. The final settlement
must affect our enemies as we'll as
orr friends
NO viNDicTlvENEss.
"You catch, with me, the voices Of
humanity that are in the air. They
grow daily more audible, more articu.
late. more persuasive, and they come
from the hearts of men everywhere.
They insist that the war shall not end
in vindictive action of any kind; that
no nation or people shall be robbed or
punished because the irresponsible rul-
ers of single country have them
selves done deep and abominable
wrong.
ut is this thought that has been ex.
pressed in the formula, no annexa.
lions, no contributions, no punitive in
IDENTITIES
"Just because this crude formula ex.
presses the instructive judgment az to
right Of plain men everywhere
1t has been made diIieent use
of by the masters Of German
intrigue to lead the people Of
Russia astray-and the people Of every
other country, their aaen:s could
reach, in order that a premature peace
might be brought about before autoe-
racy has been taught its final and con-
vincing lesson and the people Of the
world put in control Of their own des-
TIMES.
WHEN PEACE COMES.
But the fact that wrong use has
been made of just idea is no reason
why right use should not be made of
it. Let it be said again that autocracy
must first be shown the utter futility
of its claims to power or leadership
in the modern world.
at is impossible to apply any stan
dard of justice SO long as such forces
are unchecked and undefeated as the
present masters of Germany command.
Not until that has been done can right
be set up as arbiter and peacemaker
among the nations.
But when that has been done-as.
God willing, 1t assuredly will be-we|
shall at last be free to do an unprece-
denied thing and this is the time to
avow our purpose to do it.
We shall be free to base peace on
generosity and justice to the exclusion
of all selfish claims Of advantage even
on the part of victors.
1--WE MUST WIN"
"Let there be no misunderstanding.
Our present and immediate task is to
win the war and nothing shall turn Us
aside from It until it is accomplished
Every power and resource we possess,