Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-12-13
president Wilson States U.S.. War Aims

hungary, over hitherto free Balkan
states, over Turkey and within Asia
"hlch must be re~linquished.
Germany's Exploits Reviewed.
'Gernany's success by skill, by in.
oustry, by knowledge, by enterprise, we
dld not grudge or oppose, but admired
rather. She had built up for herself G
real empire of trade and influence, Sc.
cured by he peace of the world. W.
We're content to abide the rivalries o:
manufacture, science, and commerce
that we're involved for us in her sue.
cess and stand or fall as we had or die
not nave the brains and the initiative
TO surpass her. But at the moment
"nen she had conspicuously won hel
tflumphs of peace she threw then
away to establish in their stead what
the world will no longer permit to be
established, military and political dom
NATION by arms, by which TO GUS
where should could not excel the rivals
she most feared and hated. The peace
we a must rsmedy trat wrong. i
must deliver the once fair lands anG
happy peoples of Belgium and northern
france from the Prussian conquest anG
the Prusslan menace but it must also
denver the peoples OF Austria-Hungary
the peoples Of the Balkans and the peo-
pie of Turkey, alike in Europe and ii
Asia, from the impudeht and alien dom
NATION of the Prussian military anC
commercial ~autocracy.
1--WE owe it, however, to our
selves to say that VIZ, do not wish
IN any way to impair or to rear
range the Austro~-H Hungarian en-
pire. 1t is no affair of ours what
they do with their own life, either
industriaIly or politically. We do
not purpose or desire to dictate to
them in any a We only desire
70 see that their affairs are left in
.helr own hands. in all matters,
secure for the peoples of the Bal
kan peninsula and for the people Of
Turkish empire the right and OPP
p~ortunity to make their own lives
safe, their own fortunes secure
against oppression or injustice and
from the dictation of foreign courts
or parties. And our attitude and
purpose with regard to Germany
herself are of a like kind. We in
ten no wrong against the German
empire, no interference with her
internal affairs. We should deem
either the n or the other abso-
lutely unjustifiabIe, absolutely con-
trary to the principles we have
most sacred throughout our life
as a nation.
No Threat Against Germany.
The people of Germany are being
told by the men whom they now per.
nit to deceive them and to act as
their masters. that they are fightine
for the very life and existence Of theil
empire: a war of desperate self de.
Tense against deliberate aggression
Nothing could be more grossly or wan
tonly false and we must seek by the
utmost ONENESS and an1nr &c 10 nv,
real aims to convince them of it.
f~alseneSs. We are. in fact, fighting fol
their emancipation from fear, alons
with our own. from the fear as vel
as from the fact of unjust attack bS
nelghbors or rivals or schemers after
world empire. No one is threatening
the existence or the independence oil
the peaceful enterprise of tn German
empire.
THE worst that can happen to tn,
detriment of the German people is his
that if they should still. after the wa
is over, continue to be obliged to liv,
under ambitious n Intriguing mas.
tiers interested to disturb the peace o
the world, men or classes of mel
whom the other peoples of the worlc
could not. trust, it might be Impossible,
to admit them to the partnership o
nations which must henceforth guaran.
tee the worlds peace. That part1ershi,
must be a partnership of peoples, no
a mere partnership of governments. I
might be impossible also in such un.
toward circumstances to admit Ger.
many to the free economic intercourse
which must inevitably spring out OF tn,
other partnerships of Il real peace. Blu
there would be no aggression in that
and such a situation, inevitable because
OF dlStrust, would i'll the very natur,
Of things sooner or later cure itself by
processes which WOui6 1ScllrG1lV cor in
Germany Is Protected.
The wrongs, The very deep wrongs
committed in this war will have to b,
righted. That. of course. But the,
cannot and must not be righted by tn,
commission of similar wrongs agaius
Germany and her allies. The worlt
will not permit the commission of sim.
liar wrongs rs a means of PREPARATION
and settlement. Statesmen must b,
this time nave learned that the opinion
of the world is everywhere wide awak,
and fully comprehendS the issues in
volved. No representative of any self
governed nation will dare disregard i
by attempting any such covenants o
Se!flShneSS and compromise as Wer,
entered into at the congress of Vienna
The thought OF the plain people her,
and everywhere throughout the world
the people who enjoy no privilege ant
have very simple and very %unsophisti
Gated STANDARDS or right and wrong
that is the air all governments mus
henceforth breathe if they would live
1t is in the full disclosing light of tina
thought that all policies must be con
ceived and executed and executed il
this midday hour of the worlds life
German rulers have been able to upse
the peace of the world only because tn,
German people We're not suffered. un
der their tutelage, to share the com
radeship of the other peoples of tn,
world, either in thought or in purpose
They We're allowed to have no opinion
of their w which might be set up a
a rule of conduct for those who eX
erciscd authority over them. But tn,
congress that concludes this war vii
feel the full strength of the tides tina
run now in the hearts and conscience.
of free men everywhere. It's conclu
Sions will run with those tides.
All these things have been true from
the very beginning of this stupendou.
war; and l n help thinking tina
if they had been made plain at tn
very outset, the sympathy and enthus
iasm of the Russian people might hav,
been once for all enlisted on the sid
of the allies, suspicion and distrus
swept away and a real and lasting
union of purpose affected. Had the,
believed these things at the very MON
ent of their revolution had they BEEF
confirmed in that belief since, the SAT