The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-08-30
Pope's Peace T'an
Is Rejected.
WILSON WRITES NOTE
Cannot Take Word Of Present
German Rulers.

Wilson has rejected the pope's peace
proposals.
In a note dispatched and made pub
lie here the president says that while
every heart not blinded and hardened
by the terrible war must be touched
by the moving appeal of his holiness
ii would be folly 10 take the path OF
peace he points out if it does not III
fact lead to the goal he proposes.
To deal with such a power as the
present rulers of Germany on Pope
Benedict's plan, the president de-
clares, would involve a recuperation
of the strength and renewal of the
world domination of that power, now
baked. but not defeated after sweep
ing a continent with the blood of in
nocent women and children and the
helpless poor as well as Of soldiers.
Permanent peace must be based on
the faith of all the peoples and on
justice and fairness and the Common
rights of mankind, he adds, and we
cannot take the word of the present
rulers of Germany as a guarantee Of
anything that is to endure. unless ex-
plicitly supported by such conclusive
evidence of the will and purpose Of the
German people themselves as the 9th
er peoples of the world would be JUS
tilted In accepting"
The note was signed by Secretary
Lansing, acting for the president. 1t
concludes as follows:
America Has Suffered Much.
The American people have suffered
in~tolerable wrongs at the hands of the
imperial German government, but they
desire no reprisal on the German PEG
pie, who have themselves suffered all
things in this war, which they did not
choose.
They believe that peace should rest
upon the rights OF peoples, not he
, rights of governments the rights OF
peoples great or small, weak or power
ful-their equal right to freedom and
security and self government and to 4
participation upon fair terms in the
economic opportunities Of the world
the German people Of course included
II they will accept equality and no.
seek domination.
The test. therefore, of every plan
of peace is this: Is it based on the
faith of all the peoples involved or
merely on the word OF an ambitions
and intriguing government, on the
II hand, and of a group OF free
peoples, on the other
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 u
any kind. We believe that the intoI
cradle wrongs done in this war by tho
furious and brutal power of the i'm
perial German government ought to he
repaired, but not at the expense OF
the sovereignty of any ~people-rather
q vindication of the sovereignty both
OF those hat are weak and those that
are strong.
Based Upon Justice and Fairness.
Punitive damages, the dismember-
ment OF empires, the establishment OF
selfish and exclusive econouI"
leagues, we deem inexpedient and n
the end worse han futile, no propef
basis for a peace of any kind, las
of all for an enduring peace. Thai
must be based upon justice and fair
ness and the common rights of man
kind.
We n take the word of tn
present rulers Of Germany as a qua
antee Of anything that is to endu.,
unless explicitly supported by sreh
conclusive evidence Of the will aud
purpose Of the German people them
selves as the other peoples of the
world would be justified in accepting
without such guarantees, treaties
Of settlement, agreements for disarin-
ament, covenants to set up arbitra
ton in the place of force, territorial
adjustments, reconstitutions Of sma,i
nations, il made with the German GOV
eminent, no man, no nation could nov
depend IN.
I'VE must await some new evidenee
of the purposes Of the great people
Of the central powers. God grant IL
may be given soon n in a way to re-
store the confidence of all people
everywhere in the faith OF nations and
the possibility of a Covenant
peace"