The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1918-01-25
FOURTEEN CONSIDERATIONS DEMANDED
American People Ready to Give Their Strength
and Highest Purpose In Final War
for Human Liberty, Declares
President Wilson

washington.-President Wilson ad-
dressing Congress, delivered re-state-
ment of war aims in agreement Win
tho recent declaration by the British
nremier. David Lloyd George. The
president presented definite pro-
gram for world peace.
The President said:
"Gentlemen of the Congress-
Once more, as repeatedly before, the
spokesmen of the Central empires
have indicated their desire to discuss
the objects of the war and the posi-
BILE bases of a general peace. Parleys
have been in progress at Brest-Litovsk
between Russian representatives ana
representatives of the Central Powers
TO which the attention Of all the bel
ligerents has been invited for the pur-
nose of ascertaining whether 1t may be
possible to extend these parleys into
general conference with regard 10
terms of peace and settlement.
"The Russian representatives pre-
scented not only a perfectly definite
statement Of the principles upon which
they would be willing to conclude
peace, but also an equally definite pro-
gram of the concrete application OF
those principles. The representatives
of the Central Powers, on their part
presented an outline Of settlement
which, If much less definite, seemed
susceptible of liberal Interpretation
until their program of practical terms
was added.
"That program proposed no conces-
sions at all either to sovereignty OF
Russia or to the preferences OF the
population with whose fortunes 1t
dealt, but meant, in word, that the
Central empires were to keep every
foot of territory their armed forces had
occupied-every province, every city,
every point of vantage-as perma-
nent addition to their territories and
their power.
1T is a reasonable conjecture that
the general principles of settlement,
which they at first suggested, orlgl-
mated with the more liberal statesmen
Of Germany and Austria, the men who
have begun to feel the force OF their
own peoples thought and purpose
while the concrete terms of actual set
Element came from the military lead
ers who have no thought but to keep
what they have got. The negotiations
have been broken off, The Russian
representatives were sincere and IN
earnest. They can not entertain such
proposals of conquest and domina-
ton.
"The whole incident Is full OF sig
nificance. 1t is also full Of perplexity.
With whom are che Russian repre-
sentatiyes dealing? For whom are
the representatives of the Central
empires speaking? Are they speak
ing for the majorities of their re-
spective parliaments or for the mi
nority parties, that military and I'M
perialistic minority which has so far
dominated their whole policy and
controlled the affairs of Turkey and
of the Balkan States which have felt
Obliged 10 become their associates In
this war? The Russian representa-
tives have insisted, very justly, very
wisely, and in the true spirit Of mod
ern democracy, that the conferences
they have been holding with the Teu-
tonic and Turkish statesmen should
be held within open, not closed doors,
and all the world has been audience,
as was desired.
ITO whom have we been listening,
then? To those who speak the spirit
and intention of the resolutions OF
the German Reichstag of the ninth
of July, last, the spirit and intention
OF the liberal leaders and parties OF
Germany, or to those who resist and
defy that spirit and intention and
insist upon conquest and subjuga-
tionf or are we listening. In fact to
both. unreconciled and in open and
hopeless contradiction These are
VAR serious and pregnant questions.