The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-12-05

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| ers after world empire. No one IS
/ dependence of the peaceful enterprise
of the German empire.
: Partnership Of Nations.
4 The worst that can happen to the
/ detriment of the German people is
| this. that if they should still. after
/ the war is over, continue to be obliged
| TO live under ambitious and intriguing
! masters interested to disturb the
! peace of the world, men or classes of
! men whom the other peoples of the
| world could not trust. it might be i'm
! possible to admit them to the part
| nership Of nations which must hence
! forth guarantee the worlds peace.
| That partnership must be a partner
! 1'ir Cs peoples, not mere partner
ship of governments. It might be i'm
| possible, also, in such untoward cir
cumstances, to admit Germany to the
| free economic intercourse which must
! inevitably spring out of the other
partnership of a real peace. But
there would be no aggression in that,
and such a situation. inevitable be-
cause of distrust would in the very
nature of things sooner or later cure
itself by processes which would as
suredly set in.
THE wrongs, the very deep wrongs,
committed in this war will have to
be righted. That of course. But they
cannot 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
comprehend the issues involved. No
representative of any self-governed
nation will dare disregard it by at
tempting any such covenants of sell
fishness and compromise as were en-
tered into at the congress of Vienna
Decision With Plain People.
THE thought of the plain people
here and everywhere throughout the
world, the people who enjoy no privi-
lege and have very simple and w.
sophisticated standards of right AMI
wrong, is the air all governments
must henceforth breathe if they would
live. 1t is in the full disclosing light
of that thought that all policies must
be conceived and executed in this mil
day hour of the worlds life
German rulers have been abe to
upset the peace of the world only
because the German people were not
suffered under their tutalage to share
the comradeship of the other peoples
of the world either in THOUGHT or in
purpose. They were allowed to have
no opinion of their own which might
be set up as a rule of conduct for
those who exercise authority over
them. But the congress that concludes
this war will feel the full strength
Of the tides that run now in the hearts
and consciences of free men every
where. Its conclusions will run with
those tides.
"All these things have been true
from the very beginning Of this stu
pendous war, and I cannot help think
ing that if they had been made plain
at the very outset the sympathy and
enthusiasm of the Russian people
might have been once for all enlisted
on the side of the allies, suspicion and
distrust swept away, and a real and
lasting union of purpose effected. Had
they believed these things at the very
moment of their revolution. and had
they been confirmed in that belief
since, the sad reverses which have
recently marked the progress of their
affairs toward an ordered and stable
government of free men might have
been avoided. The Russian people
have been poisoned by the very same
falsehoods that have kept the German
people in the dark, and the poison
has been administered by the very
same hands. The only possible anti
dote is the truth. 1t cannot be utter
ed too plainly or too often.
From every point of view, there
fore, it has seemed to be my duty to
speak these declarations of purpose,
to add these specific interpretations
to what I took the liberty Of saying
to the senate in January. Our en-
trance into the war has not altered
our attitude toward the settlement
that must come when 1t is over. When
7 h., Of
the world were entitled not only to
free pathways upon the sea, but also
to assured and unmolested access to
those pathways, I was thinking, and
I am thinking now, not Of the smaller
and weaker nations alone, which need
our countenance and support, but also
of the great and powerful nations,
and of our present enemies as we'll
as our present associates in the war.
was thinking, and am thinking now,
of Austria herself, among the rest, as
we'll as of Serbia and Poland Justice
and equality of rights can be had only
at a great price. We are seeking per
manent, not temporary, foundations
fer the peace of the world and must
always. the right will prove to be the
expedient.
What shall we do. then, to push
this great war of freedom and justice
to its righteous conclusion? We must
clear away with a thorough hand all
impediments to success and we must
make every adjustment of law that
will facilitate the full and free use
of our whole capacity and force as
a fighting unit.
Zone very embarrassing obstacle
that stands in our way is that we are
at war with Germany but not with
her allies. I, therefore, very earnest
ly recommend that the congress i'm
mediately declare the United States
in state of war with Austria-Hun-
gary. Does it seem strange to You
that this should be the conclusion Of