The Glenwood post., 1917-09-01
a1ENwooD SPRINGS, COLORADO, o,sATURDAY,

to the domination of its purpose, but it
is our business to see to it that the
history Of the rest of the world is not
longer left to its handling.
"To deal with such power by way
of peace upon the plan proposed by his
holiness, the pope, would, so far as we
can see, involve recuperation of its
strength and renewal of its policy.
would make it necessary to create a
permanent hostile combination of na-
tions against the German people who
oning the new born Russia to the in
trigue the manifold subtle inference
and the certain counter revolutions
which would be accepted by all malign
influences to which the German govern
ment has of late accustomed the world.
Can peace be based upon a restitution
of its power upon any word of honor
it could pledge in treaty Of settle
ment and accommodation?
Responsible. statesmen must now
everywhere see if they never saw before
that no peace can rest securely upon
political or economic restitutions meant
| to embarrass some nations and cripple
or embarrass others upon indicative
actions of any sort, or any kind of re-
venge or deliberate injury.
"The American people have suffered
intolerable wrongs at the hands of the
imperial German government, but we
desire no reprisal upon the German peo-
pie who have themselves suffered all
things in this war which they did not
choose. They believe that peace should
rest upon the right of peoples, on the
rights of government; the rights of peo-
pies great or small, weak or powerful;
their equal rights to freedom and Sc
curity and elf-government, and to a
participation upon fair terms in the
economic opportunities of the world,
the Germans, of course, included, if they
will accept equality and not seek domi-
nation.
"The test, therefore, of every plan
of peace is this: Is it based upon the
faith of all the people involved or
merely upon the word of an ambitious
and intriguing government on the one
hand and of group of free peoples on
the other! This is test which goes
to the root of the matter, and it is the
test which must be applied
"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 listed again. We
seek no material advantage of any
kind. We believe that the intolerab.e
wrongs done in this war by the furious
and brutal power of the imperial Ger
man government ought to be repaired,
but not at. the expense of the sovcr
| eighty of any people rather than vim
dication of the sovereignty both Of
those that are weak and those that are
strong. Punitive damages, the dis
memberment of empires, the establish
ment of selfish and exclusive economic
leagues we deem mex edient and in the
end worse than futils and no proper
basis for a peace of any kind, least of
all for an enduring peace. That must
be based upon justice and fairness and
the common rights of mankind.
owe cannot take the word of the
present rulers of Germany as guar
antee of anything that is to endure un-
less explicitly supported by such evi-
dence of the will and purpose of the
German people themselves as the other
peoples Of the world would be justified
in accepting.
Without such guarantee treaties of
settlement, agreements for disarma-
ment, covenants to set up arbitration
in the place Of force, territorial adjust
ments, reconstruction of small nations
if made with the German government
no man, no nation can now depend on.
We must wait some new evidence of
the purposes Of the great peoples Of
the central powers. God grant it may
be given soon and in way to restore
the confidence of all peoples every.
where and the force of nations and the
possibility of covetous peace.
"ROBERT LANSING,
Secretary of State Of the United
States Of America
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