Middletown transcript., 1918-02-16


il the other matters to be determine
by the articles Of peace are not hand
led in the same way as items in tn
final accounting.
HE cannot ask the benefit Of com
mon agreement in the one field with
out according in the other. l take ]
for granted that he sees that separat.
and selfish compacts with regard t.
trade and the essential materials o
manufacture would afford no founda
ton for peace. Neither, he may res
assured, will separate and selfish con-
pacts with regard to provinces ant
peoples.
Count Czernin seems to see thu
fundamental elements of peace will
clear eyes and does not seek to oh
scure them. He sees that an independ
emit Poland, made UP Of all the indis
putably Polish peoples who lie con
tiguous to one another, is matter o.
European concern and must, Of course
be conceded that Belgium must
be evacuated and restored, no matter
what sacrifices and concessions thai
may involve; and that national aspira
tons must be satisfied, even within hif
own empire, in the common interest o.
Europe and mankind.
If he is silent about questions which
touch the interest and purpose OF his
allies more nearly than they touch
those of Austria only, it must, OF
course. be because he feels constrain
ed, suppose, to defer to Germany
and Turkey in the circumstances. See
ing and concedjng, as he does, the es
sential principles involved and the
necessity of candidly applying them
he naturally feels that Austria can re-
spond to the purpose OF peace as ex
pressed by the United States with less
embarrassment than could Germany
He would probably have gone much
farther had it not been for the embar-
rassment of Austria's alliances and OF
her dependence upon Germany.
after all, the test of whether it is
possible for either government to go
any further in this comparison CT views
is simple and obvious. The principles
to be applied are these:
First, that each part of the final
settlement must be based upon the es-
sential justice of that particular case
and upon such adjustments as are
most likely to bring a peace that will
be permanent;
Second, that peoples and provinces
are not to be bartered about from SOW
ereignty to sovereignty as if they were
mere chattels and pawns in q game,
even the great game, now forever dis
credited, Of the balance of power; but
that
Third, every territorial settlement
involved in this war must be made in
the interest and for the benefit of the
concerned, and not as a
part of any mere adjustment. or COM
promise of claims among rival states;
and,
Fourth, that all well-deined ma
tional aspirations shall be accorded the
utmost satisfaction that can be accord
ed them without introducing new or
perpetuating old elements of discord
and antagonism that would be likely
in time to break the peace of Europe
and consequently of the world.
"A general peace erected upon such
can be discussed. Until
such a peace can be secured we have
no choice but to 60 on. So far as we
can Judge, these principles that we re-
gard as fundamental are already every
where accepted as imperative, except
the spokesman of the military
and annexationist party in Germany.
If they have anywhere else been re-
jected the directors have not been
sufficiently numerous or influential to
make their voices audible.
1.-THE tragical circumstance is that
this one party in Germany is apparent
ly willing and able to send millions of
men to their death to prevent what all
the world now sees to be just.
II would not be true spokesman
Of the people of the United States il l
did not say once more that we entered
this war upon no small occasion, and
that we can never turn back from
course chosen upon principle. Our re-
sources are in part modified now, and
we shall not pause until they are
in their entirety.
"Our armies are rapidly going to
the fighting front, and will go more
and more rapidly. Our whole strength
will be put into this war of emancipa-
from the threat
and attempted mastery of selfish
groups of autocratic rulers-whatever
the difficulties and present partial de-
lays. We are indomitable in our pow
er Of Independent action and can in
no circumstances consent to live in a
world governed by intrigue and force
We believe that our own desire for a
new international order under which
reason and justice and the common in
terests Of mankind shall prevail is the
desire of enlightened men everywhere.
Without that new order the world will
be without peace and human life will
lack tolerable conditions of existence
and development. Having set our
hand to the task of achieving it, we
shall not turn back.
II hope that it is not necessary for
me to add that no word of what have
said is intended as a threat. That is
not the temper of our people. l have
spoken thus only that the whole world