Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1917-08-29

Washington, Aug. 29.-President
Wilson rejected the peace proposals
of Pope Benedict XIV at this time.
In a note sent the pope, he de-
clared, that the United States must
continue to fight until it is satisfied
that a peace treaty would be more
than another "scrap Of paper to be
torn by Germany's rulers at will.
While the presidents note is a re-
lection of peace at this time, it leaves
the road wide open for further discus
sion and proposals.
eve cannot take the word of the
present rulers Of Germany as a guar
antee of anything that is to endure"
he says. And later he adds:
1--WE must await some new evidence
of the purposes Of the great peoples
Of the central empires. God grant 1T
may be given soon and in way to
restore the confidence Of all peoples
everywhere in the faith Of nations and
the possibility of covenanted peace"
President Wilson declares fatty
against an economic war after the war,
against anneXations or indemnities
other than resolutions, such as pay
ment to Belgium and the return of
Alsace-Lorraine to France.
The text of his note in part follows:
1.-THE purposes of the United States
in this war are known to the whole
word-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 intolerable
wrongs done in this war by the furi-
Gus and brutal power of the imperial
German government ought to be re-
paired, but not at the expense of the
sovereignty of any people-rather
vindication Of the. sovereignty both OF
those that are weak and Of those that
Eare strong. Punitive damages, the
dismemberment Of empire, the estab-
lishment of selfish and exclusive
leagues we deem inexpedient and in
the end worse than futile, no proper
basis for a peace Of any kind, least
of all for an enduring peace. That
must be based upon justice and fair
ness and the common rights Of man
kind. ........- .. .--.-.-...
eve 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 arbitra-
ton in the place Of force, territorial
adjustments, reconstitutions Of small
nations, If made with the German gov
eminent, no man, no nation could now
depend on. We must await some
new evidence of the purposes Of the
great peoples Of the central powers.
God grant it may be given soon and
In q way to restore the confidence Of
all people everywhere in the faith Of
nations.
ITO deal with such a power by
way Of peace upon the plan proposed
by his holiness, the pope, would, so
Ear as we can see, involve recuper-
alton of its strength and renewal Of
It's policy; would make 1t necessary
to create a permanent hostile combi-
nation Of nations against the German
people, who are its instruments; and
would result in abandoning the new
born Russia to the intrigues, the man.
fold subtle Interference, and the GER
tain counter-revolutiOn which would
be attempted by all the malign influ-
ences to which the German govern
ment has of late accustomed the world.
Gan peace be based upon restitution
Of its power or upon any word OF
honor 1t could pledge in treaty Of
settlement 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
cripple or embarass others, upon vim
action of any sort, or any
kind Of revenge or deliberate injury.
The American people have suffered In
tolerable wrongs at the hands Of the
imperial German government, but
they desire no reprisal upon the Ger
man people, who have themselves suf-
fered all things In this war, which
they did not choose. They believe
that peace should rest upon the rights
Of peoples, not upon the rights Of gov
ernments-the rights Of peoples great
or small, weak or powerful-their
equal right to freedom and security
and self-government and to a partici-
patton upon fair terms in the econom-
ic opportunities Of the wOrld-the
German people Of course included, If
they will accept equality and not seek
domination.
"His holiness In substance proposes
that we return to the status quo ante
bellum, and that then there be a gen.
eral conformation, disarmament, and
a concert Of nations based upon an &C.
ceptance Of the principle Of arbitra-
ton; that by similar concert free
dom Of the seas be established; and
that the territorial claims of France
and Italy, the perplexing problems of
the Balkan states, and the restitution
of Poland be left to such concillatory
as may be possible in the
new temper of such peace, due re-