New Britain herald., 1917-08-29

selfish ends. To deal with such
power would, as the President points
out. merely result in temporary
ending of present hostilities the same
many had regained it's strength and
was ready to go forth on the war path
to take up where she left off.
AS Germany is a nation that seeks
ton; as Germany is bent on the DOM
nation of the world; as Germany is
determined TO occupy the highest
place in the sun; so the United States
is prompted by motives that are the
exact antithesis. This country never
waged war of territorial conquest
and never will. This country never
sought to enslave a free people. This
country never stopped to the mean
and despicable things that have
prompted the autocratic governments
Of other lands. And so our purposes
in this war are above suspicion, the
world over They are known where
ever the light has been let shine.
They are known to the civilized
peoples of the universe. Although
the President does not wish to state
them all over again he Incorporates
in his messag e to the Pope these out
standing truths:
I'VE seek no material advantage
of any kind. We believe that the
intolerable wrongs done in this war
by the furious and brutal power Of
the Imperial German Government
ought to be repaired, but not at the
expense or the sovereignty of any
people--rather a Vindication of the
sovereignty of those that are weak
and of those that are strong. Punt
tive damages, the dismemb erment of
empires the esta blishment 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, least of all
an enduring peace. That must be
based upon justice and fairness and
the common rights of mankind"
1t is an enduring peace that Is
wanted; not a peace that wall prove in
generation to come merely a time
limit in which mistakes made by
Germany in this war might be i'm
proved upon for the final triumph of
Prussianism over civilization. Since
we cannot take the word of the pres
ent rulers of Germany, since they can
not be trusted after their long series
of wrongs against the bodies polite of
the world, how then can any terms be
reached? That is a serious question.
It's answer must be in terms that will
guarantee responsible representative
of the German people at the worlds
peace table. Its answer will have to
pledge that no puppet of the Hohen-
zollerns shall show his face before the
representatives of other nations in the
parleying for an end of the war. Its
answer will have to- embody specific
pledges and promises of the German
people themselves that they have, once
and for all, done with the intrigue and
INSTRUMENTATION of their masters.
The rigid test Of every plan of peace |
has been formulated by the President |
of the United States, Woodrow Wilson. |
1t is this: rs it based upon the faith
of all the peoples involved or merely
upon the word of an ambitious and
intriguing Government son the one
hand and a group Of free peoples on
the other? 2" This indeed, is a test of
tests 1t is one that "goes to the root
of the matter" 1t is the test (which
must be applied The free peoples
of the world cannot afford to covenant
with a scheming, lying, treacherous
Government playing them across the
board They cannot afford to sit In
at game where one player holds
cards up his sleeve, where a crooked
gam bier has the pasteboards marked.
In truth, there can be no covenant
with the Imperial German Govern
ment as 1t now stands.