The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-01-21

ment amongst all the nations of the
world, war to make the world safe
for the peoples who live upon it and
have made it their own, the German
Leople themselves included"
Why We Are at Present Compelled to
Fight Both the German Govern
mcnt and the German People.
In his reply to the Pope the Presi-
dent said:
THE American people believe that
peace rests upon the rights of peoples.
rot the rights of governments-the
rights of peoples great or small, weak
or powerful-their equal right to free
dom and security and self-govern-
ment and to a participation upon fair
terms in the economic opportunities
of the world-the German people of
course, themselves included, if they
will accept equality and not seek dom
nation"
Here it is important to note that
we can offer a friendly relation with
the German people only eff they will
accept equality and not seek domina-
ten" In other words, the German
pGOplC IldNS lIOL yet lIlduC II ClGc1I that
they are prepared to accept equality
and not geek domination.
The President accurately says in
the same speech:
I'VE must await some new evidence
of the purposes of the great peoples
of the Central Powers"
1t is not only that the great peo-
pies of the Central Powers Germany
andAustria- Hungary are not permit
ted to declare their real opinion, but
we have as yet no sufficient ground
for concluding that their opinion will
| be favorable to our offer of a posi-
ton of equality among the nations.
1.-THE people of Germany are being
! told by men whom they now permi;
to deceive them and to act as their
masters that they are fighting for the
very life and existence of their EN-
pire, a war of desperate self-defense
against deliberate aggression" the
President declared in his message tc
Congress (Dec. ~. Here it is import
ant to note not only that the German
government deceives the German peo-
pie and acts as its master but that
the German people NOW permit" this
mastery and deception.
The President has further pointed
Tin his reply to the Pope) to another
fact of universal knowledge, namely
that the German people are submit
ting with Temporary zest" to the
domination of the present ruling
classes. (Aug. 27.)
1t is evident that some great change
in the situation will have to inter
vene before a people that submits
with a temporary zest to such a bru
tai despotism as that of the Kaiser
and the Prussian military caste will
abandon this amazing inratuaIon. The
President and the American people
realize that if the German armies are
victorious the Zest of the German
lpeople in their government may prove
lasting and may even become strong
er than ever, while the defeat of these
armies is bound, sooner or later, tt
have the opposite effect. The Presi
dent has expressed our attitude in hi
Flag Day address:
'"They (the rulers of Germany,
have but one chance to perpetuatt
their military power or even theil
controlling political influence. If the.
can secure peace now with the i'm
mense advantages still in their hands
which they have up to this point ap
parently gained they will have JUST
fled themselves before the German
people; they will have gained by it
an immense expansion of German
power, an immense enlargement o
German industrial and commercial
opportunities. Their prestige will b
, secure, and with their prestige poll
teal power. If they fail, their peopl
will thrust them aside; a government
accountable to the people themselve
will bet set up in Germany as it ha
been in England, in the United States
in France, and in all the great coun
tries of :he modern time except Ger
many"
t Here it is recognized the blind 10y
! atty of the German people is such tina
the military victory of Prussian des
potism over the democratic nation
will in their minds justify PRUSSIA
despotism. The German people ar
so hynotfzed by the past and recen
successes of the German military ma
chine that they totally disregard it
crimes against other peoples. Nor d
) Iley realize, dS lll0 1I0SIuSHI punt
: out in his last message, that if tn
German power is not Crushed an
: utterly brought to an end by a de
cisive military defeat this would in
evitably make it necessary to Great
permanent hostile combination O
l nations against the German people
who are its instruments (Dec. A.
= resulting in an economic boycott eve,
more feared in. Germany than mill
: try defeat and more injurious. Her
I tie spokesman of the American PEG
pie puts the whole matter in nut
r she'll We must and shall continu
= the war against the German govern
: nient-either by military operation
or by boycott-until it is either de
feated or overthrown by the Germa
people. And as long as the Germa
people continue to support the pres