The Mena weekly star., 1917-08-16
POPE BENEDICT IN
 EFFORTSFOR PEACE
Submits Proposals tO Warning Pow CTS Including Restoration of All Territory and No Indemnity
 Entente Powers Suspicious.

Washington, Aug. ii.-An unOili- rial outline of Pope Benedict's peace proposal received here discIoses that the pontiff includes some of the principles of world peace for which President Wilson has declared.
 Among the pope's proposals are reduction of armaments. freedom of the seas and that there shall be no retaliatory struggle after the war for commercial supremacy. These are regarded as the foundation stones of the pope's plan.
 Included in the restoration of ter ritory, the Pope's proposal insists should be the return to Germany of all her colonies, as well as the com plete restoration 10 Belgium of her sovereignity.
 The P0pe's proposal declares that the injuries to all belligerents have been so great there should be no thought of reparation. except for the return of territory.
 The Overture Is Long.
 The Popes proposal, already de- livered to the resident ambassadors and ministers of the warning powers in Rome, is quite long, making in print something more than column .of large newspaper type. AlthQ spe- cial efforts. are being made to facil- tate it's transmission to the United states, this may not be affected for at least a day or two.
 Meanwhile, however, an accurate outline of the principal points of the pope's communication is in the hands of the government here and has already received thoughtful con sideration
 Describes Horror of War.
 In eloquent language the pontiG describes the terrible conditions eX- isling in Europe, which he declares is headed for destruction unless the hclligerents are willing to listen to the appeals of disinierested friends t0 cease a suicidal war. The condi- tions the Pope says amply justify him in taking the present opportun- lity to suggest what may be, he hopes, at least a foundation upon which peace negotiations may be initiated.
 At best Pope Benedict's proposals are only suggested as rough basis for such negotiations and he real- izes that the details in all their complexity must be worked out pa tiently and in e spirit of cancellation by the belligerents themselves.
 Approves Wilson's Plan. ' Unqualified approval of President Wilson's plan for the avoidance of future wars by some form of inter- national organization which shall have behind it the necessary power to enforce it's judgments is given by Pope Benedict, who declares that, along with such a splendid project, must go an effective arrangement for reduction of armaments to a point just sufficient for defensive purposes or to carry out the man. dates of the world court
 IL is incOnceivable, the Pope holds, that any permanent peace can be maintained unless the various peo- ples are willing to gather in an am ity founded upon a recognition of national rights
 No Indemnity of Preparation.
 Any attempt to prevent free eco- homie action between the belliger- ents, the Pope points out, would be disastrous; therefore he says there must be freedom of the seas in all that the term implies. The pontiff declares that so extensive has been the injury to all the belligerents that there can be no thought now of elth- CT indemnity or reparation.
 Tn the spirit of eonciliation and justice, he says, all the belligerents must submit to accept the losses they have sustained, except i'll the matter of territory and, besides the questions of indemnity and repara- tion, the Pope declares that there must be no continuation of the war by an economic struggle for suprem- acy thereafter, which would be purely civil.
 Restoration of Territory.
 On the important question of the disposition of occupied territory and the territorial ambitions of the bel ligerents, the Pope, by way of pre- face, admits that special cases might justify special consideration and still be adjusted in conformity with the principles of equity and justice. But as a general proposition, he feels that proper basis for discussion would be the restoration at once of all territory now in enemy oecupa- tion. That would involve liberating Belgium leaving not trace of Ger man control, political or military. The same principle of unencumbered freedom in it's full sense, he says, must prevail in regard to every pow CT and nation. Not only must such territory now occupied by Germany be restored to France, he says, but, on the other hand, all German colo nies which have been occupied by England, Portugal Belgium and Japan should be returned to Ger many.
 Interested But Unreceptiye.
 Washington, Aug, Without ad- vices of any kind from their own governments, the entente embassies