The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1917-09-12
tory OF the rest OF the world is no long
er left to it's handling. 4zs@
No Peace on Status Quo.

No Peace on Status Quo.
ITO deal with such a power by way
of peace upon the plan proposed by
His Holiness, the Pope, would, % far
as we can see, involve a recuperation
of it's strength and renewal of it's
policy; would make it necessary to
create a permanent hostile combina.
ton of nations against tho German
people, who are it's instruments; and
would result in abandoning the new
born Russia to the intrigue, the mani.
fold subtle interference, and the GER
tain counter-resolution which would be
attempted by all the malign influences
to which the German government has
of late accustomed the world. Can
peace be based upon a restitution of
its power or upon any word of honor
it could pledge in a treaty of settle
ment and accommodation?
Irresponsible statesmen must now
everywhere see, if they never saw be-
fore, that no peace can rest securely
upon political or economic restrictions
meant to benefit some nations and Grip
cative 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 Ger
man people, who have themselves SUI
fered all things in this war, which they
did not choose. They believe that
peace should rest upon the rights of
peoples, not the rights of govern
ments-the rights of peoples great or
small, weak or powerful-their equal
right to freedom and security and SELF
government and to participation up
on fair terms in the economic oppor-
tunities of the world German peo-
pie of course included, if they will
accept equality and not seek domina-
ton.
"The test, therefore, in every plan
of peace is this: Is it based upon the
faith of all peoples involved or merely
upon the word of an ambitious and in
triguing government, on the one hand
and of a group of free peoples on the
other? This is a test which goes to
the root of the matter; and it is the
test which must be applied.
U. S. Aims Known to World.
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 seek no material advantage of any
kind. We believe that the intole~-
able wrongs Gone in this war by the
furious and brutal power of the I'm
perlal German government ought to
De repaired, but not at the expense
OF the sovereignty of any people
rather vindication of the sovereign
ty both of those that are weak, and
OF those that are strong. Punitive dam
ages, the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of empires.
the establishment of selfish and exclu-
slve economic leagues we deem expe-
dent and in the end worse than flu.
tile, no proper basis for a peace Of
any kind, least Of all for an enduring
peace. That must be based upon JUS
tlce and fairness and the common
rights of mankind.
I'VE cannot take the word of the
present rulers of Germany as a guar
antee Of anything that is to endure,
unless explicitly supported by such
conclusive evidence of the will and
purpose of the German people them
selves as the other peoples of the
world would be justified in accepting.
Without such guarantees treaties Of
settlement, agreements for disarma-
ment, covenants to set up arbitration
IN the place Of force, territorial ad-
Justments, recOnstitutions of small ma
lions, ii made with the German gov
eminent, no man, no nation could now
depend on. We must wait some new
evidence of the purposes of the great
peoples Of the Central Powers. God
grant it may be given soon and in a
way to restore the confidence of all
peoples everywhere in the faith of
nations and the possibility of a GOV.
enanted peace.
(Signed) ROBERT LANSING.
"Secretary of State of the United
States of America"