Arizona republican., 1918-01-06

with her. But that is a question fol the German people to decide
 Tt is more than d year since the president of the United States advises the belligerents to suggestion that each side should clearly state the aims for which they were fighting. Even on so crucial a matter as their intention re- garding Belgium. they have declined to give any trustworthy indication"
 Referring to the pronouncement by Count Czernin. the Austro-Hungarian foreign minister. at the Brest-Litovsk peace conference on December 25, that it was not the intention of the central powers to appropriate forcibly any oc- cupied territories or rob of its inde- pendence any nation which lost its po- litical independence during the war, Lloyd George said it was obvious that any scheme of conquest and annexation could be perpetrated within the literal interpretation of such pledge.
 We must know what is meant" said the premier, for equality of right amongst nations, small as well as great is one of the fundamental issues this country and her allies are fighting to establish"
 Preparation for Belgian towns and villages and their inhabitants he as serted had been repudiated emphatic ally by the central powers and the rest of their so called offers were almost entirely a refusal of all concessions. On one point only were they clear. Under no circumstances would Ger many's demand for the restoration of the whole of her coloiiies be departed from. All the principles of self-de- termination here vanish.
 Tt is impossible to believe that any permanent peace can be erected on such a foundation" said the premier. ] Mere lip service to the formula of no annexation, no indemnities and self determination is useless.
 I "The days of the treaty of Vienna are long past. We can no longer submit
 the future of European civilization to
 the arbitrary decisions of a few ne- gotiators striving to secure by chi
 canery or persuasion the interests of
 this or that dynasty or nations. There
 fore, government with the consent of
 the governed must be the basis of any territorial settlement. For that req
 son, also, unless treaties be upheld, it
 is obvious that no treaty of peace can
 be worth the paper on which it is
 written.
 The first requirements always made by the British and their allies have been the complete restoration, political,
 territorial and economic. of the inde-
 pendence of Belgium and such repara- tion as can be made for the deVasta- . . tion of it's towns and provinces. IL is no demand for war indemnity, but in- [ sistence that before there can be any
 hope of stable peace this great breach of public law in Europe must be re- pudiated and so far as is possible, re- r paired.
 Preparation means recognition. Un- | less international right is recognized by insistence on payment for injury l done in defiance of its csnons, it can
 never be reality.
 Next comes the restoration of Ser f bia. Montenegro and the occupied parts l of France. Italy and Rumania, the com plete withdrawal of alien armies anC
 reparation for injustice done is the fun e damental condition of a permanen . peace.
 We mean to stand by the French de V mocracy to the death in the demand = they make for a reconsideration of tn, great wrong of Fl, when Alsace-Lor. | raine was torn away. This sore hs n poisoned the peace of Europe for hal t a century and until cured healthy con o ditions cannot be restored.' e The premier said he would not at
 tempt to deal with the question of thu
 Russian territories now in German oc
 cupation. The Russian policy since tn
 revolution had passed through so man
 phases that it was difficult to speal
 without some suspension of judgment
 on what the situation would be whe the terms of European peace come { be discussed. Referring to the fact that the war was started by Russia decision to protect Serbian indepen
 dence and that the present rulers C
 Russia had entered into separate peac
 negotiations, the premier said: . T am indulging in no reproaches. C am stating facts to make it clear wh = Britain cannot be held accountable fc d the decision taken in her absence an o concerning which sne was not con d suited on her aid invoked.
 d Nobody who knows Prussia and he
 Continued on Page Two)