The Green Forest tribune., 1917-12-14

full price for peace, and pay it un- grudgingly. We know what flat price will be. It will be full. impartial jus tice-justice done at every point and to every nation that the final settle ment must affect, our enemies as well as our friends.
 Final and Convincing Lesson.
 You catch with me, the voices of humanity that are in the air. They grow daily more audible. more articu- late more persuasive, and they come from the hearts of men everywhere. They insist that the war shall not end in vindictive action of any kind that no nation or people shall be robbed or punished because the irresponsible rulers of single country have them selves done deep and damnable wrong. It is this thought that has been ex- pressed in the formula No anneXa- tions, no contributions, no punitive in demnities.' Just because this crude formula expresses the instinctive judg- ment as to right of plain men every where, 1t has been made dilgent use of ty the masters of German intrigue to lead the people of Russia aStray- and the people of every country their agents could reach, in order that a premature peace might be brought about before autocracy has been taught its final and convincing lesson. and the people of the world put in control of their own destinies."
 Right as the Arbter
 But the fact that wrong use has been made of a just idea is no reason why right use should not be made of it. It ought to be brought under the patronage of it's real friends. Let it be said again that autocracy must first be shown the utter futility of its claims to power or leadership in the modern world. It is impossible to apply any standard of justice so long as such forces are unchecked and undefeated as the present masters of Germany command. Not until this has been done can Right be set up as arbiter and peacemaker among the nations. But when that has been done-as, God willing. it assuredly will be-we shall
 
 thing, and this the time to avow our purpose to do it. We shall be free to base peace on generosity and justice, to the exclusion of all selfish claims to advantage even on the part of the vic tors.
 To Win War Our Present Task.
 "Let there be no misunderstanding. Our present and immediate task is to win the war, and nothing shall turn us aside from it until it is accomplished. Every power and resource we possess, whether of men, of money. or or ma teriaIs, Is being devoted and will con tinue to be devoted to that purpose until it is achieved. Those who de- sire to bring peace about before that purpose is achieved I counsel to GETTY their advice elsewhere. We will not entertain it. We shall regard the war as won only when the German people say to us, through properly accredited representatives. that they are ready to agree to settlement based upon jus tice and the reparatioH of the wrongs their rulers have done. They have done q wrong to Belgium which must be repaired. They have established power over other lands anG people than their own-over the great empire of Austria Hungary, other hitherto free Balkan states, over Turkey, and within Asia-which must be relnquished.
 Must End German Autocrscy.
 "Germany's success by skill, by in dustry, by knowledge, by enterprise, we did not grudge or oppose, bur ad- mired rather. She had built up for herself real empire of trade and in fuence, secured by the peace of the world. We were content to abide the rivalries of manufacture, science and commerce that were involved for us in her success and stand or fall as we had or did not have the brains and the initiative to SurpaSs her. But at the moment when she had conspicuOuSly won her triumphS of peace she threw them away, to establish in their stead what the~world will no longer permit to be established. military and political domination by arms. by which to oust
 
 she most feared and hated. The peace we make must remedy that wrong. It must deliver the once fair lands and happy peoples of Belgium and north ern France from the Prussian conquest and the PrusSian menace, but it must also deliver the peoples of Austria Hungary, the peoples of the Balkans and the peoples of Turkey, alike in Europe and in Asia. from the impudent and alien dominion of the Prussian military and commercial autocracy.
 To Manage Their Own Affairs.
 'We owe it, however. to ourselves to say that we do not wish in any way to impair or to re-arrange the AustrO Hungarian empire. It is no affair of ours what they do with their own life, either industrially or politically. We do not purpose or desire to dictate to them in any way. We only desire to see that their affairs are left in their own hands, in all matters, great or small We shall hope to secure for the peoples of the Balkan peninsula and for the people of the Turkish empire the right and opportunity to make their own lives safe; their own for tunes secure against oppression or in justice and free from the dictation of foreign courts or parties.