The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1917-12-05
GREAT STATE PAPER IS
READ To CONGRESS

1eye and when those SpOkeSmen are
ready in the name of their people to
accept the common judgment of
the nations as to what shall hence
forth be the bases of law and of COW
enant for the life of the world-we
shall be willing and glad to pay the
full price for peace, and pay it I'M
grudgingly. We know what that price
will be- 1t will be full, impartial Jus
tice-justice done at every point and
to every nation that the final settle
ment must affect, our enemies as well
as our friends.
Final and Convincing Lesson.
"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
rulers of a single country have them
selves done deep and damnable wrong.
1t is this thought that has been ex-
pressed in the formula No annexa-
tfons, no contributions, no punitive in
demnities.' Just because this crude
formula expresses the instructive judg-
ment as to right of plain men every
where, it has been made diligent use
Of by the masters of German intrigue
to lead the people of Russia astray-
and the people of every country their
agents could reach, in order that a
premature peace might be brought
about before autocracy has been taught
its final and convincing lesson, and
the people of the world put in control
of their own destinieS."
Right as the Arbiter.
"But the fact that wrong use has
been made of just idea is no reason
why right use should not be made of
it. 1t ought to be brought under the
patronage of it's real friends. 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. 1t is impossible to apply any
standard of justice so long as such
forces are unchecked and undefeated
as the present masters Of Germany
command. Not until this has been
done can Right be set up as arbiter
and peacemaker among the nations.
But when that has been done-as, God
willing it assuredly will be-we shall
at last be free to do an unprecedented
thing, and this 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 to
advantage even on the part of the vic
tors
To Win War Our Present Task.
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
whether Of men, Of money, or of ma
terials, is being devoted and will con
tinue to be devoted to that purpose
until 1t is achieved Those who de-
sire to bring peace about before that
purpose is achieved 1 counsel to carry
their advice elsewhere. We will not
entertain it. We shall regard the war
as won only when the German people
say to us, through properly accredited
representatives, that they are ready to
agree to a settlement based upon JUS
tice and the reparatiOn of the wrongs
their rulers have done. They have
done a wrong to Belgium which must
be repaired. They have established a
power over other lands and people than
their own--over the great empire OF
Austria-Hungary, other hitherto free
Balkan states, over Turkey, and within
Asia-which must be relinquished.
Must End German Autocracy.
"Germany's success by skill, by in
dustry, by knowledge, by enterprise
we did not grudge or oppose, but ad-
mired, rather. She had built up for
herself real empire of trade and in
fuence, secured by the peace Of the
world. We were content to abide the
rivalries Of manufacture, science and
commerce that were involved for us in
had or did not have the brains and the
initiative to surpaSs her. But at the
moment when she had cOnspicuously
won her triumphs of peace she threw
them away, to establish in their stead
what the world will no longer permit
to be established, military and political
domination by arms, by which to oust
where she could not excel the rivals
she most feared and hated. The peace
we make must remedy that wrong. II
must deliver the once fair lands and
happy peoples Of Belgium and north
ern France from the Prussian conquest
and the Prussian menace, but it must
also deliver the peoples of Austria
Hungary, the peoples of the Balkans
and the peoples of Turkey, alike in
Europe and in Asia, from the impuden1
and alien dominion Of the Prussiar
military and commercial autocracy.
To Manage Their Own Affairs.
"We owe it, however, to ourselves tC
say that we do not wish In any way tC
impair or to re-arrange the Austro
Hungarian empire. 1t is no affair o1
ours what they do with their own life
either industrially or politically. We
do not purpose or desire to dictate tC
them in any way. We only desire to
see that their affairs are left in theil
own hands, in all matters, great ol
small. We shall hope to secure for the
peoples of the Balkan peninsula ant
for the people of the Turkish empire