Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-12-06

and existence OF their empire, q war OF
desperate self-defense against deliberate
aggression. Nothing could be more grossly
or wantonly false and we must seek BY
the utmost openness and candor as to
our real aims to convince them Of It's
falseness. We are in fact lighting for
their emancipation from fear, along with
our own-from the fear as we'll as from
the fact of unjust attack by neighbors
or rivals or schemers after world empire.
No one Is threatening the existence or
the independence Of the peaceful enter
prise Of the German empire.
The worst that can happen to the detri-
ment Of the German people Is this that
II they should still, after the war is over,
continue to be obliged to live under ambi-
tious 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
impossible to admit them to the part
nership Of nations which must hence
forth guarantee the worlds peace. That
partnership must be a partnership Of
peoples, not a mere partnership of govern
ments. It might be impossible. also, in
such untoward circumstances, to admit
Germany to the free economic intercourse
which must inevitably spring out Of the
other partnerships Of a real peace. But
there would be no aggression in that;
and such q situation, inevitable because
Of distrust. would in the very nature of
things sooner or later cure itself. by
processes which would assuredly set in.
WARS WRONGS MUST BE RIGHTED.
The wrongs. the very deep wrongs, COM
| mitted in this war will have to be righted.
That, Of course. But they can not and
must not be righted by the commission
| of similar wrongs against Germany and
her allies. The world will not permit the
commission Of similar wrongs as a means
Of reparation and settlement. Statesmen
must by this time have learned that the
opinion of the world is everywhere wide
awake and fully comprehends the issues
involved.
MUST CONSIDER PLAIN PEOPLE.
No representative of any self-governet
nation will dare disregard 1t by attempt
ing any such covenants Of selfishness ant
compromise as were entered into at tht
congress at Vienna. The thought Of thu
plain people here and everywhere through
out the world, the people who EMO!
no privilege and have very simple ant
unsophisticated standards of right ant
wrong, Is the air all governments mus
1t is in the full disclosing light Of tina
thought that all policies must be con
ceived and executed in this midday hou
Of the worlds life. German rulers hav
been able to upset the peace Of the worl'
only because the German people wer
not satisfied under their tutelage to shar
the comradeship of the other peoples o
the world either in thought or in per
son. They were allowed to have n
} opinion of their own which might be sc
up as rule Of conduct for those who exer
cised authority over them. But the con
gress that concludes the war will fee
the full strength of the tides that ru
now in the hearts and consciences Of fire
} men everywhere Its conclusions will ru
with those tides.
All those things have been true fror
the beginning Of this stupendous war
and I cannot help thinking that II the
, had been made plain at the very outse
the sympathy and enthusiasm of tn
, Russian people might have once for a
! enlisted on the side Of the allies. su,
picion and distrust swept away and
real and lasting union Of purpose effected
Had they believed these things at til
1 very moment Of their revolution and ha
v they been confirmed in that belief sine
the sad reverses which have recent
q marked the progress Of their affail
o towards an ordered and stable govern
l. ment Of free men might haye bee
q avoided.
r. The Russian people have been poisont
t by the very same falsehoods that ha'
n kept the German people in the dark ar
{ the poison has been administered by II
J, very same hands. The only possible ant
ii dote is the truth. 1t can not be utter,
e too plainly or too often.
Il URGES WAR ON AUSTRIA-HUNGAR'
From every point Of view. therefore.
D. has seemed to be my duty to speak the
declarations Of purpose. to add the
specific interpretations to what I TOT
the liberty Of saying to the Senate
January. Our entrance into the war h
b not altered our attitude towards L
70 settlement that must come when it
10 over. When I said in January that t
,r tnations of the world were entitled n
.r only to free pathways upon the sea.
l. also to assured and un nolested acce
n to those pathways I was thinking. Al
ID am thinking now. not Of the small
Ie and weaker nations alone which ne
our countenance and support. but al
Id Of the great and powerful nations a
10 Of our present enemies as we'll as O
rs present associates In the war.
fe was thinking and am Think