The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-05
WHOLE WORLD FIGHTS
 SELFISH AMBITION

This, then, is our conception of the great struggle in which we are en- gagged. The plot is written plain upon | every scene and every act of the su- preme tragedy. On the one hand stand | the peoples of the world--not only the l peoples actually engaged. but many others, also who suffer under mastery but cannot act; people of many races, 1 and in every part of the world--the l people of stricken Russia still among the rest though they are for the mo- ment unorganized and are helpless 1 Opposed to them, masters of many
 armies, stand an isolated, friendless group of governments who speak no | common purpose but only selfish am l bitions of their own by which none can
 profit but themselves and whose peo- I ples are fuel in their hands; govern
 ments which fear their people and yet
 are for the time their sovereign lords,
 making every choice for them and dis
 posing of their lives and fortunes as l they will, as well as of the lives and | fortunes of every people who fall un- der their power-Egovernment clothed
 with strange trappings and the primi-
 tive authority of an agent that is altogether alien and hostile to our own. The past and the present are in deadly
 grapple,. and the peoples of the world
 are being done to death between them. OANAI lOoO AMI IN AL
 MUST BE SETTLEMENT
 I There can be but one issue. The set l clement must be final There can be no
 compromise. No halfway decision would be tolerable. No halfway decision is
 conceivable. These are the ends for which the associated peoples of the world
 are fighting and which must be con- ceded them before there can be peace: 1 l. The destruction of every arbitral !! power anywhere that can separately, se-
 cretly and of it's single choice disturb
 the peace of the world; or if it cannot
 be presently destroyed at the least it's
 reduction to virtual impotence.
 2. The settlement of every question
 whether of territory. or sovereignty, of 1 economic arrangement, or of political re-
 iationship, upon the basis of the free ac- 1 ceptance of that settlement by the peo- | pie immediately concerned and not upon
 the basis of the material interest or ad- vantage of any other nation or people which may desire a different settlement
 for the sake of it's own exterior influ- l ence, or mastery.
 s. The consent of all nations to be governed in their conduct towards each other by the same principles of honor 1 and of respect for the common law of | civilized society that govern the indi- vidual citizens of all modern states in I their reiations with one another, to the end that all promises and covenants may | be sacredly observed, no private plots, I or conspiraces matched no selfish in- l juries wrought with impunity, and a mu- ltual trust established upon the handsome l foundation of a mutual respect for right. 1 A. The establishment of an orsaniza- ition of peace which shall make it cer- tain that the combined power of free nations will check every invasion Of right and serve to make peace and jus tice the more secure by affording def 1 mite tribunal of opinion to which all must 1 submit, and by which every international readjustment that cannot be amicably agreed upon by the peoples directly con- cerned shall be sanctioned.