Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-01-25

Gay aIteTnOOn addressed the United
States senate he proclaimed the
right of the peoples of the world to
self-government when he said:
mo peace can last, or ought to
last which does not recognize and
accept the principles that govern
ment derives all their just powers
from the consent of the governed
and that no right anywhere exists
to hand peoples about from sover-
eighty to sovereignty as if they
were property"
For one hundred years the people
OF the United States have been con-
tent witfthe doctrine proclaimed by
President Monroe, but it remained
for President Wilson, Monday, to
make that doctrine applicable not
to the peoples of the American con-
tinent but to the peoples OF the en-
tire world, when he said:
81 am proposing, as it were, that
the nations should with one accord
adopt the doctrine of President
Monroe as the doctrine Of the world
that no nation should seek to ex-
tend its policy over any other nation
or people, but that every people
should be left free to determine it's
own way Of development, unhinder-
ed, unthreatened, unafraid, the lit
tie along with the great and power
full"
These particularly outstanding
features of the Presidents address
will scarcely appeal to Great Britain
and Germany whose empires were
builded largely through conquest,
and whose subjects brought to them
through conquest, can hardly be
said to have given their consent to
the government now imposed upon
them. These two particular feat
ures are pertinent just now because
in the peace notes that have recent
ly been exchanged each of these
countries has charged that the other
is animated in the prosecution of
the present war with the desire for
more territory and each has strong
ly denied that such is the desire or
aim. It is probable, therefore, that
in making terms of settlement at
the end of the war the policy of the
American people as set out by Pres
dent Wilson, coupled with the re-
cent statement of the two principal
parties to the great war, that it is
not war of conquest, will have
bearing, and more, that it
will have material bearing upon the
future peace of the world. To this
force of the American people will
be added that of the other neutrals
of the world, a force that cannot be
conveniently ignored in the final ad-
justment following the war.
Who would be more worthy of
these proclamations to the
world at this time than the presi-
dent of the United States which is
founded on the very principle which
he has so nobiy proclaimed to the
world? At what other time in the
worlds history, down to the very
moment of its delivery, could such
a proclamation of policy have been
given to the world with even the
possibility of its ultimate
ad option by the peoples Of the
earth? No one more worthy than
the president of the United States
could have been found to assume
the great responsibility and nc more
propitious time in all history ever
presented. The right man acted
and he acted at the psychological
moment.
The great neutral world agrees
with President Wilson. The powers
concerned in the great conflict have
virtually proclaimed that it is not
more territory nor more power they
are seeking, that it is to curb that
spirit of aggression in the other
that they are in the conflict. TAX
ing them at their word and with the
neutrals as arbiters to see to it that