The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1917-09-06
FULL TEXT OF WILSON'S REPLAs
TO THE POPE

To His Holiness,
Benedictuc XIV,
Pope.
In acknowledgment of the COM
1nunicatiOn of your holiness to the
belligerent peoples, dated Aug: l,
1917, the President of the United
States requests me to transmit the
following reply:
blinded and hardened by this terrible
war must be touched by this moving
! appeal Of his holiness the pope, must
| feel the dignity and force of the hui
name and generous motives which
prompted it, and must fervently wish
that we might take the path OF peace
he SO persuasiveiy points OUT. - -.
But it would be folly to take 1T II
it does not, in fact, lead to the goal
he proposes. Our response must be
based upon the stern facts and upon
nothing else.
1t is not a mere cessation of arms
he desires; it is stable and endur-
i ing peace. This agony must not be
gone through with again, ana y must
be a matter of very sober judgment
what will insure us against it.
| His holiness in substance proposes
! that we return to the status quo ante
bellum, and that then there be gen
eral conformation, disarmament, and
concert OF nations, based upon an
acceptance Of the principles OF arbl-
dom Of the seas be established; and
that the territorial claims OF France
the Balkan states, and the restitu-
| ton of Poland be left to such concili-
atory adjustments as may be possible
| in the new temper OF such peace,
| due regard being paid to the asplra-,
!
fortunes and affiliations will be in
volved.
It is manifest that no part of this
program can be successfully carried
out unless the restitution of the sta
| tus quo ante furnishes firm and
satisfactory basis for it.
The object of this war is to deliv-
er the free peoples of the world from
the menace and the actual power of
a vast military establishment, con
| trolled by an irresponsible govern
ment which, having secretly planned
! to dominate the world, proceeded to
carry the plan out without regard
either to the sacred obligations OF
treaty or the long established pracee
international action and honor;
which chose it's own time for the war;
delivered it's blow tiercely and sud
denly; stopped at no barrier either OF
| law or of mercy; swept q whole con-
tinent within the tide OF blood, not
the blood of soldiers only, but the
blood of innocent women and chill
and now stands baked but not de.
| feated, the enemy of four-fifths OF
I! the world.
This power is not the German peo-
| pie. II is the ruthless master of the
German people. 1t is no business OF
ours how that great people came I'M
der it's control or submitted with
temporary zest to the domination of
it's purpose; but it is our business to
see to it that the history of the rest
of the world is no longer left to its
handling.
To deal with such a power by way
of peace upon the plan proposed by
his holiness the pope would, so Tar as
we can see, involve a recuperation OF
| its strength and renewal of it's
policy; would make it necessary to
create permanent hostile cOmbina-
ton of nations against the German
people, who are it's Instruments; and
! would result in abandoning the new
born Russia to the intrigue, the
manifold subtle interference, and the
certain counter revolution which
would be attempted by all the malign
influence to which the German gov
eminent has of late accustomed the
world
. Can peace be based upon a restitu--
, ton of it's power or upon any Word
of honor it could pledge in treaty
of settlement and accommodation!
| Responsible statesmen must now
everywhere see, if they never saw
before, that no peace can rest secure
ly upon political or economic restric-
lions meant to benefit some nations
and cripple or embarrass others,
upon indicative action of any sort,
or any kind of revenge or deliberate
injury.
The American people have suffer.
ed intolerable wrongs at the hands of
the imperial 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 or
governments--the rights of people
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, in
cluded, if they will accept equality
and not seek domination.
The test, therefore, OF every plan
of peace is this: Is it based upon the
faith of all the peoples involved or
merely upon the word of an ambit-
ious and intriguing government. on
the one hand, and of a group of free
peoples on the other? This 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 stated again.
We believe that the intolerable |
wrongs done in this war by the fur
ial German government ought to be
repaired, but not at the expense of
the sovereignty Of any people
rather vindication of the sovereign
- hot xu0olr ond l