The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1917-12-07

ate aggression. Nothing could be
more grossly or wantonly false. and
we must seek by the utmost open
ness and candor as to our real aims
to convince them of it's falseness.
We are in fact fighting for their
emancipation from fear. along with
our own-from the fear as well as
from the fact of unjust attack by
neighbors or rivals or schemers af-
ter world empire. No one is
threatening the existence or the in
dependence or the peaceful enter
prise of the German empire.
Worst That Could Happen.
The worst that can happen to the
detriment of the German people is
this, that if they should still. after
the war is over, continue to be oblig
ed to live under ambitious and in
triguing masters interested to dis
turb the peace of the world, men or
classes of men whom the other peo-
pies of the world could not trust. il
might be impossible to admit them
TO the partnership OF nations which
must henceforth guarantee the
worlds peace That partnership
must be a partnership of peoples
not mere partnership Of govern
ments. 1t might be impossible, also,
in such untOward circumstances. to
admit Germany to the free economic
intercourse which must inevitably
spring out of the other partnerships
OF real peace. But there would he
no aggression in that; and such a
situation, inevitable because of dis
trust, would in the very nature OF
things sooner or later cure itself by
process which would assuredly set
in.
The wrongs, the very deep wrongs
committed in this war will have to
be righted. That, of course. can
not and must not be righted by the
commission Of similar wrongs
against Germany and her allies. The
world will not permit the commits
sion of similar wrongs as a means
Statesmen must by this time have
, learned that the opinion of the
world is everywhere wide awake and
fully comprehends the issues in.
Volved. No representative of any
self-governed nation will dare disre.
gard ii by attempting any such COW
enants Of selfishness and compromise
as were entered into at the congress
of Vienna. The thought Of the plain
people here and everywhere
throughout the world, the people
who enjoy no privileges and have
very simple and unsophisticated
standards OF right or wrong, is the
air all governments must henceforth
breathe if they would live. 1t is in
the full disclosing light OF that
thought that all policies must be
conceived and executed in this mid
day hour of the worlds life. Ger
man rulers have been able to upset
the peace of the world only because
the German people were not suffer
ed under their tutelage to share the
comradeship of the other peoples of
the world either in thought or in
purpose. They were allowed to
have no opinion OF their own which
might be set up as a rule of conduct
Tor those who exercised authority
over them. But the congress that
concludes this war will feel the
strength OF the tides that run now
in the hearts and consciences of free
men everywhere. It's conclusions
will run with those tides.
Plight OF Russia.
All these things have been true
from the very beginning of this stu
pendous war; and l can not help
thinking that If they had been made
plain at the very outset the sympa-
thy and enthusiasm of the Russian
people might have been once for all
enlisted on the side of the allies,
suspicion and distrust swept away.
and real and lasting union of pur-
pose effected. Had they believed
these things at the very moment of
their revolution and had they been
confirmed in that belief since. the
sad reverses which have recently
marked the progress of their affairs
towards an ordered and stable gov
ernment of free men might have
been avoided The Russian people
have been poisoned nv the very