Arizona republican., 1917-08-29

'fo deal with such ,a power by way of peace upon the plan pro- posed by his holiness the pope, would So far as we can see, involve a re- cuperation of it's permanent hostile combination of nations against the German people who are it's instru- ments; and would result in abandon ing the new born Russia 10 the n- triSue, the manifold subtle interfer- ence, ands the certain counter revolu- ton which would be attempted by all the malign influences to which the German government has of late ac- customed the world. Can peace be based upon q restitution of it's power or upon any word of honor it could pledge in a treaty of settlement and accommodation?
 Resp p0nsihle statesmen must now everywhere see, if they never saw be- fore, that no peace can rest securely upon political or economic restrictions meant to benefit some nations and cripple or embarras others upon vim dicative action of any sort or any kind of revenge or deliberate injury. The American people have suffered intoler- able WTogns at the hands Of the inn perial German government but they desire no reprisal upon the German people 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 powerful-their equal rights to free dom and security and self government and to 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 faith of all the peoples involved or merely upon the word of an ambitious and intriguing government on the one hand and a group of free peoples on the other? This is q 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 10 the whole World-to every people to whom the truth has been permitted to come They do not need to be stated again. We seek no material advantage of any Ri lii. We believe that the intolerable wrongs done in this war by the furious and brutal power of the imperial Ger man government ought to be repaired bul H'l al lne expense or the SON- ereignty of any people-rather a vindi- cation of the sovereignty both of those that ale weak and those that are strong. Punitive damages, the dismem- berment of empires, the establishment of selfish and exclusive economic leagues, we deem inexpedient and in the end worse than futile, no proper basis for peace of any kind. least of all fer an enduring peace. That must be based upon justice and fairness and the common rights of mankind.
 We cannot take the word of tn present rulers of Germany as a guar antee of anything that is to endure un- less explicitly supported by such con- pose of the German people themselves as the other peoples of the world would
 be Justified in accepting. Without such guarantees, treaties of settlement agreements for disarmament, covenants to set up arbitration in the place of force territorial adjustments, recon stitutions of small nations, if made with the German government, no man, no nation could now depend on 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 way to restore the confidence of all peoples everywhere 1 in the faith of nations and the possi- , i.-ty of covenanted peace
 ROBERT LANSING, Secretary of State of the United States of America" :"