Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-08-29
Text of the Reply.

The text of the note in part fol-
 ,OWs:
 August 27, 1917-To His Holiness,
 Benedictus XIV. Pope, in acknowl- edgement of the communication of
 Your Holiness to the belligerent peo- pie dated August 1, 1917, the presi- dent of the United States requests me to transmit the following reply:
 Every heart that has not been
 blinded and hardened by this terrible
 war must be touched by this moving appeal of His Holiness, the pope; must feel the dignity and force of the humane and generous motives which prompted it, and must fervently wish that we might take the path of peace so persuasively pointed out But 1t would be folly to take it, if it does not in fact lead to the goal he pro- poses.
 "Our response must be based upon stern fact and upon nothing else. It IS not mere cessation of arms he de sircs; it is stable and enduring peace. This agony must not be gone through with again and it must be n matter of very sober judgment that wall insure us against it.
 "His Holiness, in substance. pro- poses that we return to the status quo ante bellum and that then there be general conformation, disarma- ment, and concert of nations based upon acceptance of the principles of arbitration.
 Must Have Firm Basis.
 "It is manifest that no part of this program can be successfully carried out unless the restitution of the status quo ante bellum furnishes firm and satisfactory basis for it.
 'The object of this war is to de- liver the free peoples of the world from the menace and the actual power of a vast military establish ment, controlled by an irresponsible government which, having secretly planned to dominate the world, pro- ceeded to carry out the plan almost without regard either to the sacred obligations of treaties or the long established practices and long cher ished principles of international ac- tion and honor.
 "The power is not the German peo- pie; it is the ruthless master of the German people. It Is our business to see to it that the history of the rest of the world is no longer left to it's handling. To deal with such power by way of peace upon the plan proposed by His Holiness, the pope would, so far as we can see, involve a recuperation of it's strength and renewal of it's policies; would make it necessary to create a perma- nent hostile combination of nations against the German people, who are it's instruments, and would result i'm abandoning newborn Russia to the intrigue and manifold subtle interfer- ence. and certain cOunter-revOlutiOn which would be attempted by all the malign influences to which the Ger man government, has of late, accus- toned the world. Can peace be based upon restitution of it's power or up- on any word of honor it could pledge in treaty of settlement and accom- Responsible statesmen must now every where see, if they never saw before that no peace can rest securely upon political or eco homie restrictions meant to benefit some nations and cripple or embar- rass others, upon vindictive action of any sort, or any kind of revenge or deliberate injury.
 "The American people have suffered intolerable wrongs at the hands of the imperial German government. but they desire TO reprisals upon the Ger man people. They believe that peace should rest upon rights of peoples. not the rights of govern rights of peoples. great or small, weak and powerful their equal rights to freedom and security and self f-goyernment and to participa- kion upnn fair terms in the economic