The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1917-12-06

lit to dscHiy, t. aal to act rs
their masters tha, t.isy are lighting
tor the very LIE a-... existence OF tneir
empire, war of desperate self-de-
Tense against deliberate aggression.
Nothing could be more grossly or
wantonly false, ard VIC must seek by
the utmost openncss and candor as 10
cur real aims to convince them Of its
falseness. We arc in fact fighting
Tor their emancipation from fear,
along with our own--from the fear as
well as from the fact Of unjust at
tack by nefghbors or rivals or schem-
ers after world empire. No one Is
threatening the existence or the In
dependence or the peaceful enter
prise of the German empire.
The worst that can happen to the
6etriment of the German people is
this, that if they should still, after the
war is over, continue to be obligated
10 live under ambitious and intriguing
masters, interested to disturb the
peace of the world, men or classes OF
men whom the other people Of the
world could not trust, it might be I'M
possible to admit them to the part
nership of nations which must hence
forth guarantee the worlds peace.
That partnership must be partner
ship of peoples, not mere partner
ship of governments. It might be im-
possible, also, in such untoward cir
cumstances. to admit Germany to the
| free economic intercourse which must
| inevitably spring ous Of the other part
nerships OF a real peace. But there
| would be no aggression in that; and
such situation, inevitable because Of
distrust, would in the very nature OF
things sooner or later cure itself, by
processes which would assuredly
set in.
/ The wrongs, the very deep wrongs.
committed in this war will have to be
/ righted. That is a matter Of course.
/ But they cannot and must not be
/ righted by the commission Of similar
wrongs against Germany and her al
/ lies.
Will Not Permit Repetition.
The world will not permit the COM
mission of similar WroE gs as means
Of reparation and settlement. States
men must by this time have learned
that the opinion OF the world is every.
where wide awake and fully compre-
hends the issues involved. No repre-
sentative of any self-goyerned nation
will dare disregard it by attempting
any such covenants Of selfishness
and compromise as were entered into
at the congress of Vienna. The
thought of the plain people here and
everywhere throughout the world, the
people who enjoy no privilege and
have very simple and unsoph.sticated
standards Of right and wrong, is the
air all governments mus. hencefortr
& breathe if they would live.
1t is in the full disclosing light 81
that though that all policies must bt
conceived and executed in this mid
day hour oN the worlds life. German
! rulers have been able to upset tht
, peace OF the world only because ths
German people were not suffered un
der their tutelage to share the com
. radeship of the other peoples of thu
world either in thought or in purpose
They were allowed to have no opinion
of their own which might be set VI
as rule of conduct for those who ex
ercised authority over them. But th'
congress that concludes this war will
feel the full strength OF the tides tina
, run now in the hearts and conscience
! of free men everywhere. Its conclu
sions will run with those tides.
j All these things have been. tru'
J from the very beginning Of the stu
! pendous war; and cannot help think
! ing that il they had been made plan
! at the very outset the sympathy an,
, enthusiasm of the Russian peopl
. might have been once for all enliste,
/ on the side of the allies. suspicion AM
distrust swept away and real an,
: lasting union Of purpose effected. Hal
, they believed these things at the yer
! moment Of their revolution and ha
!. they been confirmed in that belle
since, the sad reverses which have r.
4 Gently marked the progress of thei
/ affairs toward an ordered and Stabl
! government of free men might hav
j been avoided. The Russian peopl
i have been poisoned by the very sam
! falsehoods that have kept the Germa
! people in the dark, and the poison ha
{ been administered by the very sam
+ hands. The only possible antidote
8 the truth. It cannot be uttered to
!. plainly or too often.
a From every point Of view, there
a fore, it has seemed to be my duty I
i speak these declarations Of purpose,
add these specific interpretations t
what took the liberty Of saying
the senate in January. Our entranc
= into the war has not altered our att
tude toward the settlement that mus
= come when it is over. When said
= January that the nations Of the worl
: were entitled not only to free patl
: ways upon the sea, bu. also to a
sured and unmolested access to thes
pathways, was thinking. and ] al
:, !. thinking now. not OF the smaller an
= :. weaker nations alone, which need OF
= countenance and support, but also ,
y the great and powerful nations, an
: OF our present enemies as well az 81
= present associates in the war.
re- Justice Costs Great Price.
ID / was thinking, and am thinkir
IS now. Of Austria herself. among Il
rest, as well as of Serbia and Of F
th land. Justice and equality Of righ