Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-12-20

Final and csnviNeiRO Lessen.
"You catch with NE. the voices OF
that are In the air. They
grow daily more audible. more artieu-
late. more persuasive. and they come
from the hearts OF men everywhere.
They insist thatlhe war shall not end
vindictive act11n Of any kind; that
no nation or people shall be robbed or
punished because the irresponsible
Of a single country have them
done deep and damnable wrong.
1t il this thought that has been ex-
pressed In the formula No annexa-
lions. no contributions. no punitive In
Just because this crude
formula expresses the instructive judg-
ment as to right Of plain men every
where. 1t has been made diligent use
Of by the masters Of German intrigue
to lead the people Of Russia astray-
and the people Of every country their
agents could reach. In order that a
premature peace might be brought
about before autocracy has been taught
Its final and convincing lesson, and
the people of the world put in control
of their own destinies."
Right ~ the Arbiter.
But the fact that q wrong use has
been made Of a Just idea Is no reason
why a right 8 should not be made of
it. 1t ought to be brought under the
patronage OF its real friends. Let 1t be
said again that autocracy must first be
shown the utter futility Of its claims to
power or leadership in the modern
world. 1t is impossible to apply any
standard of justice so long as such
forces are unchecked and undefeated
as the present masters of Germany
command. Not until this has been
done can Right be set up as arbiter
and peacemaker among the nations.
But when that has been done-as, God
willing, It assuredly will be-we shall
mt last be free to do an unprecedented
thing, and this the time to avow our
purpose to do 1t. We shall be free to
base peace on generosity and justice,
to the exclusion of all selfish claims to
advantage even on the part of the vic,
tors.
To Win War Our Present Task.
"Let there be no misunderstanding
Our present and immediate task is to
win the war, and nothing shall turn us
aside from 1t until 1t is accomplished
Every power and resource we possess
whether of men, Of money, or of ma
t~erials, is being devoted and will con
tinue to be devoted to that purpose
until 1t is achieved. Those who de
sire to bring peace about before thai
purpose is achieved I counsel to carry
their advice elsewhere. We will not
entertain 1t. We shall regard the wal
as won only when the German people
say to us. through properly accredited
representatives, that they are ready tt
agree to n settlement based upon jus
tice and the reparatlon of the wrongs
their rulers have done. They hav'
done a wrong to Belgium which mus
be repaired. They have established
power over other lands and people thar
their own-oyer the great empire o
Austria Hungary, other hitherto FREE
Balkan states, over Turkey, and within
Asia-which must be rellnquished.
Must End German A~utocraey.
"Germany's success by skill, by in
dustry, by knowledge, by enterprise
we did not grudge or oppose, but nd
mired, rather. She had built up TO
herself a real empire of trade and in
~tluence, secured by the peace Of tn
world. We were content to abide tn
rivalries of manufacture, science ant
commerce that were involved for us II
her success and stand " fall as W
had or did not have the brains and III
initiative to surpass her. But at tn
moment when she had conspicuous
won her triumphs Of peace she thre'
them away, to establish in their sten
what the world will no longer PERM
to be established, military and politica
domination by arms, by which to Gus
where she could not excel the rival
she most feared and hated. The peac
we make must remedy that wrong. ]
must deliver the once fair lands an
happy peoples Of Belgium and nortl
ern France from the Prussian conques
and the Prussian menace, but 1t mus
also deliver the peoples Of Austrlt
Hungary, the peoples Of the Balkans
and the peoples of Turkey. alike
Europe and in Asia, from the impuder
md alien dominion Of the Prussia
military and commercial aut0cracy.
To Manage Their Own Affairs.
I'VE owe 1t, however. to ourselves I
say that we do not wish in any way I
impair or to re-arrange the Austr'
Hungarian empire. 1t is no affair {
ours what they do with their own LII
either industrially or politically. W
do not purpose or desire to dictate
them in any way. We only desire
see that their affairs are left In the
own hands. in NIL matters, great I
small. We shall hope to secure for II
peoples Of the Balkan peninsula ar
for the people Of the Turkish empil
the right and opportunity to mai
their " lives safe; their own 70
tunes secure against oppression or !
Justice and free from the dictation
foreign courts or parties.
"And our attitude and purpose Wi
regard to Germany herself are OF
like kind. We intend no wrong again
the German empire; no interferen'
with her internal affairs. w shou
deem either the n or the other a
.oiutelv nm iustif1nble. absolutely co