Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-28
PRESIDENT STIRS
CAPITAL BY STAND
Continued from First Page,

Continued from First Page.)
America stands for and asks them II
they stand with him. He tells Ger
many and Austria how by eliminating
their present rulers and accepting the
main principles Of q league of nations
a durable peace can be obtained.
Why It Was Necessary.
Why was such a speech necessary?
It will be remembered that the Pres
ident answered Austria briefly though
firmly. Most Of the American news
papers spoke Of his answer as curt
and defiant, as turning q deaf ear to
peace. So 1t was-brief. firm and de-
termined
But the President omitted to say .
great many things. He omitted to
say that peace would be dictated only
on German soil. He omitted to say
that the struggle must go till Ger
many is annihilated as nation.
which extremists among American
and English and French speakers
have been saying-speeches to the ef-
feet that after the war there will be
universal trade Determinations
against the German people. that Ger
the earth, and that there can be no
peace until the German nation itself
lies PROSTATE at the feet Of the con-
Quering allies.
Things like this are what the Ger
man general STAFF have been feeding
the German people themselves. State
ments like that have been handed to
the German people in the familiar
outcry that this is "a war Of defense
against humiliation" And when the
allied statesmen wouldn't make hit
ter-end" speeches to help the German
general staff with its propaganda, the
German government would hire Bolo
the allied press so that they might be
reprinted in Germany as proof Of the
allied intentions
Such Tactics Do Not Weaken.
The morale Of Germany cannot be
weakened by such tactics. The Ger
man people will never surrender II
they believe they are to be annihflated
anyway. They will prolong the war
for many years before they will give
in.
And the plain meaning of President
Wilson's speech is that If they can be
forced to give in by means of plain
spoken and openly-avowed principles
of future action the whole world will
by relentless force-and the world
will be spared the defamation Of the
white race itself.
So the President tells Germany how
she can get peace-by throwing out
her present rulers and giving guar.
America means to secure the adoption
by the allies of her own policy OF un-
selfshness and impartial justice the
President calls upon the statesmen OF
Great Britain. France and Italy to
comment on his speech and correct
aim if he is mistaken. He has at
tempted no doubt to secure unity OF
diplomatic policy through the usual
channels Of private discussions. but
he now appeals to the peoples of the
whole world-over the heads, indeed,
of governments and statesmen.
Meaningful Sentence.
Here is the meaningful sentence
with which he concludes his address
to the statesmen of the governments
who are co-belligerents with us in
this war:
Il believe the leaders Of tho gov
ernments with which we are asso-
ciated will speak. as they have occa-
sion. as plainly as I have tried to
speak. hope that they will feel free
to say whether they think that am
probation of the issues involved or in
my purpose with regard to the means
by which a satisfactory settlement OF
those issues may be obtained"
The President goes on to speak OF
what unity on the battlefield" has
accomplished, and adds that unity OF
purpose and of counsel are as impera-
lively necessary in this war as unity
of command in the battlefield and
with perfect unity of purpose aud
counsel will come assurance OF cont
plete victory"
Revelation Is Seen.
There is in this a revelation that
some diSunity has prevailed. The de-
to have been due to divided councils
Kerensky pleaded in vain for a defini-
ton of war aims to meet the cum
ming propaganda Of the Hun among
the emancipated Russian masses
The hour of victory Is nigh and al
a toll which is not in the Presidents
meaning impartial Justice"
The President says unequfvocauy
that mo special or separate interest
of. any single nation or any group OF
nations can be made the basis of any
consistent with the common interest
of ALL"
In other words, not a foot of terri
tory or a dollar of trade for any par
ticular nation shall be permitted to
stand in the way of making peace, be-
be durable 1t would last only long
enough for the vanquished nation to
get strong enough to take revenge on
her foe, and all the other nations
in the meantime to protect themselves
AGAINST expected conflict
As to "Boycotting.o
Most interesting. moreover, is the
Presidents announcement that there
can be no special, selfish economic
combinations within the league and
no employment of any form Of eco
nomic boycott or exclusion except as
the power of economic penalty may
be vested in the league Of nations
itself as a means of discipline and
control"
That paragraph means that the
President of the United States is
against any American-British COM
hination or Italian
combination or any other alliance
within the league of nations as
against Germany or any other nation
after the war. To permit it would in
his opinion bring on another war.
Even in our own country voices
have been raised-notably that Of Col.
Roosevelt-to say that a league OF
nations without permanent conscrip-
ton in America and q large physical
force behind it would be Impractical
and arguing that a cure for war was
impossible. And when Justice Clarke
of the Supreme Court of the United
States declared there must be no dis
ordinations after the war, and that
Germany must be treated with justice
when once she comes to tho peace
table. he was bitterly attacked as
pro-German