, 1917-09-06

~ ueai WfCn Bucn q power Dy way
OF peace upon the plan proposed by
his holiness, the pope, would, SO a as
we can see, involve a recuperation of
its strength and q renewal Of its pod
Icy; would make 1t necessary to create
a permanent hostile combination of ma
tons against the German people, who
are It's Instruments; and would result
in abandoning the newborn Russia to
the intrigue, the manifold subtle inter
ference, the certain counter revolution
which would be attempted by all the
malign influences to which the Ger
man government has of late aocus-
toned the world. Can peace be based
upon a restitution of it's power or upon
any word of honor 1t could pledge in
a treaty of settlement and accommoda-
ton
Responsible statesmen must now
everywhere see, If they never saw be
lore, that no peace can rest securely
upon political or economic restrictions
meant to benefit some nations and
cripple cor embarrass others, upon vim
dictive action of any sort or any kind
OF revenge or deliberate injury. The
American people have suffered intol-
cradle wrongs at the hands of the i'm
perial German government, but they
desire no reprisal upon the German
people. who have themselves suffered
all things in this war, which they did
mot choose.
Equal Freedom and Security.
They believe that peace should rest
upon h rights of peoples, not the
rights of governments-the rights of
peoples, great or small. weak or pow
erfulEthefr equal right to freedom
and security and self-government and
to a participation upon fair terms in
the economic opportunities of the
world-the German people. of course.
included, If they will accept equality
and not seek domination.
The test, therefore, of every plan of
peace is this: Is 1t based upon the
faith of all the peoples involved or
merely upon the word of an ambitious
and intriguing government on the one
hand, and of a group of free peoples
on the other? This is a test which
goes to the root of the matter; and it
is the test which must be applied.
Iut pul pOStS VI liz OuiIcu otdtcp
in this a are known to the whole
world-to every people to whom the
! truth has been permitted to come.
They do not need to be stated again.
We seek no material advantage of any
kind. We believe that the %intolerable
wrongs done in this war by the furi-
GUS and brutal power of the Imperial
German government ought 10 be re-
paired, but not at the expense of the
sovereignty of any people-rather a
vindication of the sovereignty both Of
those that are weak and those that
are strong.
Peace on Justice INT Fairness.
Punitive damages, the dismember-
ment of empires, the establishment Of
selfish and exclusive economic leagues
we deem inexpedient and in the end
worse than futile, nc proper basis for
a peace of any kind, least Of all for
an enduring peace. That must be
based upon Justice and fairness and
the common rights OF mankind.
We cannot take the word Of the
present rulers of Germany as a guar
antee of anything that is to endure
unless explicitly supported by such
conclusive evidence of the will and
purpose of the German people them
selves as the other peoples of h
world would be justified in accepting.
Without such guarantees treaties of
settlement, agreements for disarma-
ment, covenants to set up arbitration
in the place of force. territorial adj
justments, reconstitutions of small ma
lions, if made with the German gov
eminent, no man. no nation, could now
depend on. We must await some new
evidence of the purposes of the great
peoples of the central powers. God
grant it may be given soon and in a
way to restore the confidence of all
peoples everywhere in the faith of ma
lions, and the possibility of a cove
nanted peace. ROBERT LANSING.
Secretary of State of the United
States of America.