Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-29

ment has of late accustomed the world Can peace be based upon a restitution of its power or upon any word of honor it could pledge in a treaty of settlement and accommodation
 Peace Rests Upon Rights of Peoples. 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 cripple or embarrass others, upon vim dictive action of any sort or any kind American people have suffered intol- erable wrongs at the hands of the inn per1a1 German government but they desire no reprisa1 upon the German people, who have themselves suffered all things in this war, which thy did not choose. They believe that peace should rest upon the rights of peoples, not the rights of governments-the rights of peoples great or small weak or powerful-their equal right to free dom and security and government and to a participation upon fair terms in the economic opportunities of the World-the German people of course included, if they will accept equality and not seek domination.
 Test Which Must Be Applied
 "The test, therefore, of every plan of peace is this: Is it based upon the faith of all the peoples involved or merely upon the word of an ambitious and intriguing government on the one hand, and of a group of free peoples, on the other? This is a test which goes to :he root of the ma alter. and it is the test which must be applied.
 Purposes of the War.
 '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 do not need to be stated again. We seek no material advantage of any kind. We believe that the intolerab1e wrongs cone in this war by the furi- ous and brutal power of the imperial German government ought to be re- paired, tut not at the expense of the sovereignty of any people-rather a V1ndIcatlon of the SOVerei gnty both of those that are weak and those that are strong. Punitive damages, the dis memberment of empires, the esta blish- ment of selfish and exclusive economic leagues. we deem inexpedient and ia the end worse than futile. no proper basis fo~ peace of any kind. least of all Tor ali enduring peace. That must be based upon justice and fairness and the common rights of mankind
 Cannot T ake the Word of the Present
 Rulers of Germany.
 We 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 With out such guarantees, treaties of settle ment, agreements for disarmament covenante to set up arbitration in the place of force, territorial adjustments reconstitutions of small nations, if mace With the German government, no man, no nation, could now depend on. We must await some new evidence Of the purposes of the great peoples of the central powers. God grant it may De gwen soon and in a way to restore the confidence of all peoples every where in the faith of nations and the possibility of a covenanted peace.
 ROBERT LANSING,
 Secretary of State,
 Of the United States of Amerac"