The Dickinson press., 1917-09-01
Pope's Peace Plan
Is Rejected.
WILSON WRITES Note
Cannot Take Word Of Present
German Rulers.

"~oAAA0SOA. AASoAu0AS "AAoOA -
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
it would be folly to take the path of
peace he points out If it does not in
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 we'll 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 I'VE
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
titled 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
intolerable wrongs at the hands of the
imperial German government, but they
desire no reprisal on 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 rights of peoples, not the
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 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.
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 ambitious
and intriguing government, on the
n 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.
I'VE seek no material advantage of
any kind. We believe that the intol.
cradle wrongs done in this war by the
furious and brutal power of the i'm
perial German government ought to be
repaired, but not at the expense of
the sovereignty of any peop1e-rather
a v~indication Of the sovereignty both
of those that are weak and those that
are strong.
Based Upon Justice and Fairness.
Punitive damages, the Hismember.
ment Of empires, the establishment of
selfish and exclusive economic
leagues. we deem inexpedient and in
the end worse than futile, no proper
basis for a peace Of any kind, last
of all for an enduring peace. That
must be based upon Justice and fair.
ness and the common rights of man
kind.
I'VE 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.
without such guarantees, treaties
of settlement, agreements for disar1n-
ament, covenants to set up arbitra-
ton in the place of force, territorial
adjustments, reconstitutions of small
nations, if made with the German gov.
,ernment, no man, no nation could now
depend on.
1--WE must await some new evidence
of the purposes of the great peoples
of the central powers. God grant it
may be given soon and in a way to re-
store the confidence Of all peoples
everywhere in the faith Of nations and
the possibility Of a covenanted
peace"