The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1917-01-26

peace league, and, as many contend
: thereby abandon its traditional policy
Of isolation and no entangling al
hances, was laid squarely before con-
gress and the country today by Pres
ident Wilson in a personal address
to the senate.
For the first time in more than q
hundred years president of the
United States appeared in the senate
chamber to discuss the nations for
eign relations after the manner OF
washington, Adams and Madison The
effect was to leave congress, all off,
cial quarters and the foreign diplo-
mats amazed and beWildered. I'm
mediately there arose sharp division
of opinion over the propriety as we'll
as the substance of the presidents
proposal.
Startling" staggering" 'astound-
ing" "the noblest utterance that has
fallen from human lips since the Dec
laration of Independence were
among the expressions of senators.
The president himself. after his ad-
dress said:
Seems Possible Now.
Il have said what everybody has
been longing for, but has thought i'm
possible. No wit appears to be pos
sibls" Ill
possible. Now it appears to be pos
address were:
That lasting peace in Europe can
not be peace Of victory for either
side.
That peace must be forwarded by 3
definite concert of power to assure
the world that no catastrophe of war
shall overwhelm it again.
That in such concert of power
the United States can not withhold
: its participation to guarantee peace
and justice through the world
And before peace is made the
united States government should
frankly formulate the conditions upo1
which it would feel justified in ask
ing the American people for thei1
formal and solemn adherence.
sit is clear to every man wht
thinks" the president told the sen
ate, 'that there is in this promise n
breach in either our traditions or ou
policy as a nation, but a fulfllmen
rather, of all that We have professet
or striven for. !
"I am proposing, as it were, tha
the nations should with one accord
adopt the doctrine OF President Mon
roe as the doctrine of the world; tina
no nation should seek to extend it!
. policy over any other nation or pee
pie, but that every people should b.
left free, to determine its own policy
its own way of development, unhind
cred, unthreatened, unafraid, the lit
tie along with the great and the pow
erful.
To Avoid New Dangers.
Il am proposing that all nation:
henceforth avoid entangling alliance.
which would draw them into compe
titions of power, catch them in a ne
of intrigue and selfish rivalry ans
disturb their own affairs with infiu
ence intruded from without. There
is no entangling alliance in con
cert of power. When all united to &C
in the same sense and with the sam,
purpose al act in the common in
terest and are free to live their OWL
lives under common protection.
Il am proposing government by thu
consent Of the governed, that freedom
OF the seas which in internationa
conference after conference repre-
sentatives of the United States have
urged with the eloquence with those
who are the convinced disciple O
liberty and that moderation Of arma.
ments which makes Of armies anl
navies power of order merely, no,
an instrument of aggression or oi
selfish violence.
"These are American principles
American policies. We could stand
for no others. And they are also the
principles and policies of forward
looking men and women everywhere
of every modern nation, of every en-
Hghtened community They are the
principles of mankind and must pre-
vail
While the president was speaking
copies Of his address had been for
warded to American diplomats in all
the belligerent countries for the in
formation of the foreign officers, and
were being prepared for repre-
sentatives of neutral governments
here. Back of the fundamental pro-
posal for some sort of international
sanction for preservation of the fu-
ture peace of the world, now already
accepted in principle by both sets of
belligerents in their replies to Presi-
dent Wilson's peace note, lies the
possibility, which the president to-
day openly expressed, that thereby
may be laid the ground work upon
AM AcEn fe1llMC