The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1917-01-11
DIPLOMACY AND PEACE.

DIPLOMACY AND PEACE.
The nations have not responded read
lily to President Wilson's moyefor peace.
The President merely asked each OF
the governments at war to tell him what
it is fighting for, as first basis for a
settlement. What they are fighting for
is no secret, yet it is not diplomacy for
them to say it without preluding and
supplementing the statement OF facts
with lot of redundant specifications for
which both sides claim to be fighting,
but are not. In TRUTH they generally
leave out the kernel of truth altogether.
For instance, Germany declares thatshe
is fighting for the freedom of the seas,
while everybody knows that she fights
to succeed England as ruler OF the
waves. England says she fights to crush
militaryism and TO protect the smaller
nations, when it is we'll known that she
has been the unblushing military tyrant
of the sea for hundreds of years and has
made herself rich by robbing the weaker
nations. Germany fights, she says, to
free Poland, but it is no secret that she
would add Poland to the confederate
states of the empire.
France wants her old Alsace-L Lorraine
provinces back, and little more besides
to compensate her for the trouble and
expense OF their reconquest. Russia
wants Constantinople, Italy wants a
slice Of Austrian territory along the
Adriatic, Roumania wants a. certain
Austrian province which is inhabited by
people speaking the Roumanian Ian
guage, Serbia also aspires to take some
provinces from Austria, and England
already has most of Germany's colonies
and means to keep them. Also, Eng
land wishes to destroy the German war
fleet and the German merchant marine,
two things that have troubled her greatly
for number Of years.
Germany is also ambitious. She wishes
to control the trade route to the East by
way OF Constantinople and greatly de-
sires that the Danube to its mouth shall
flow only through the territory of her
allies. Also, it is to her interest that
Russia be weakened by the loss Of
Poland. Austria wants all she can take
and hold, Bulgaria passionatcly desires
to keep Macedonia and would gladly
take anything else that is not too hard
to hold. Turkey wants Egypt restored
to her and would accept that part of
Africa lately conquered from her by
Italy.
The war il one of conquest if there
ever was war of conquest on the earth.
Both sides are doubtless sorry it was
begun, but, inasmuch as it is on, neither
party wishes to end it empty handed.
Each sides accuses the other of being
responsible for the war and both charges
are founded on truth. Conquest in the
past begot the present war of conquest.
There is not a nation in Europe, great
or small, which has not at many times
in its history freely fought for the terri
tory Of its neighbor and gloried in the
cause.
1t is hypocritical world, and the
falsest profession in all the nations is
the profession Of diplomacy. Diplomacy
is the art Of classifying plausibly, and
diplomacy smoothes the road for the
coming OF all wars. Abolish falsehood
and the diplomatic profession will fall
into decay.
The Presidents peace note was frank
and to the point. 1t shocked all the
diplomats in Europe and has drawn
criticism from all the newspapers in
America that profess 70 believe that the
diplomatic things should be said when
the end of the war is sought. The Pres
ident should have done it in the usual
way, they think. That is, he should
have concealed his real object under a
mass OF smoothe false pretense and thus
Unanswered the nations into positions
from which they could not proceed with
out falling over each others feet in the
rush to the peace conference.
To bluntly ask them what they were
fighting for was deemed impolitc be-
cause an answer equally plain-and
truthful-could have been given in one
word-"conquest." Other single words
would have answered to the same pur-
pose. THUS, Germany and England
might have replied in a breath-s'trade.' q
Russia has shouted her answer-sC Con-
stantinople !" Italy and Austria would
say s'Adriatic" il they said truth.
There never was nation that made
war for humanity. Such talk is mere
diplomacy.
It seems that President Wilson's peace
note caused a break in the stock market
by which some people. who we're in
formed in advance Of the purpose to
send such a note, profited by selling
stock short. Tho Republican members
of Congress are terribly shocked at the
superstition, advanced by them, that
some person or persons connected with
the administration used a knowledpe OF