Middletown transcript., 1917-09-08
WILSON REJECTS
PEACE PROPOSALS
Presidents Reply to PROPOSE
tion of Pope Benedict
GERMAN MENACE MUST GO


Present Military Masters OF Ger
many An Opportunity To Recuperate
In Their Eight For World Domina-
ton.
shiLgton.-President Wilson has
rejected the Pope's peace proposals.
In a note dispatched Monday night,
and made public here Tuesday, the
F1esident says that while every heart
not blinded and hardened. by the ter
rfbie war must be touched by the NOV
ing appeal of His Holiness, it would
be folly to take the path of peace he
points out if it does not in fact lead
to the goal he proposes.
Permanent peace must be based
upon the faith of all the peoples and
upon justice and fairness and the COM
mon rights of mankind, he adds, and
"we cannot take the word of the pres
snt rulers of Germany as a guarantee
OF anything that is to endure unless
explicitly supported by such con-
elusive evidence Of the will and pur-
pose of the German people themselves
~ the other peoples Of the world would
be justified in accepting"
The Presidents Note.
The text of the note follows:
August 27, 1917"
ITO His Holiness, Benedict XIV, Pope:
"In acknowledgment Of the COM
munication of Your Holiness to the
belligerent peoples, dated August l.,
1917, the President of the United
States requests me to transmit the fol-
lowing 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 hu-
name and generous motives which
prompted it, and must fervently wish
that we might take the path of peace
he SO persuasively points out. But it
would be folly to take it if 1t does not
in fact lead to the goal he proposes.
stern facts and upon nothing else. 1t
is not a mere cessation of arms he de-
sires; it is stable and enduring
peace This agony must not be gone
through with again, and it must be a
matter of very sober judgment what
will insure us against it.
Would Foil Wars Purpose.
"His Holiness in substance proposes
that we return to the status quo ante
bellum, and that then there be a gen
eral combination, disarmament and a
concert of nations, based upon an ac
ceptance Of the principle of arbitra
ton; that by similar concert free
dom of the seas be established, and
that the territorial claims of France
and Italy, the perplexing problems Of
the Balkan states, and the restitution
of Poland be left to such conciliatory
adjustments as may be possible in the
gard being paid to the aspirations o.
the peoples whose political fortunes
and affiliations will be involved.
1T is manifest that no part of thi:
program can be successfully carried
out unless the restitution of the status
quo ante furnishes firm and satisfac
tory basis for it. The object Of thi!
war is to deliver the free peoples O.
the world from the menace and ths
actual power of vast military estab
iishment, controlled by an irrespons
fble government which, having secret
ly planned to dominate the world, pro
ceeded to carry out the plan withou
regard either to the sacred obligations
OF treaty or the long established prac
tees and long-cherished principles o
chose its own time for the war, de
livered it's blow fercely and suddenly
stopped at no barrier either of law o
mercy; swept whole continent with
in the tide of blood-not the blood O
soldiers only, but the blood of innC
cent women and children also, and @
the helpless poor, and now stand
baked, but not defeated, the enemy c
four-ffths of the world. This power
not the German people. 1t is the ruth
less master of the German people.
is no business of ours how that grea
people came under its control or sui
mitted with temporary zest to tn
domination of its purpose; but it
our business to see to it that the hi
tory of the rest of the world is n
longer left to it's handling.
Cannot Trust German Rulers.
ITO deal with such power by wa
of peace upon the plan proposed b
His Holiness the Pope would, so fl
as we can see, involve recuperatic
of it's strength and renewal of i
policy; would make it necessary
create a permanent hostile combin
ton Of nations against the Germa
people, who are it's instruments; al
would result in abandoning the ne'
Born Russia to the intrigue, the mar
fold subtle interference, and the &c
tain counter revolution which wou
be attempted by all the malign lnti
eaces to which the German COVER
,annt has Of late accustomed Il
world Can peace be based upon
restitution of it's power or upon al
word of honor it could pledge in