Evening journal., 1918-01-08

what their objects are and what sort
of settlement they would deenl>just ant
satisfactory. There is no good reasor
why that challenge should not be re-
sponded 10 and responded TO with the
utmost candOr. We did not wait for II
Not once, hut again and again, we havg
laid our whole thought and purpose he
fore the word, not in general terms
only, but each time with sufficient def.
milton TO make il clear what sort Of de.
finite terms Of settlement must neces.
sarily spring out OF them Within the
last week Mr.. Lloyd George has spoken
with admirable caudOr and IN admirable
spirit for the people and government Ol
Great Britain. There is no confusion Ol
counsel among the adversaries of the
Central Powers, no uncertainty oi
principle. no vagueness OF detail
The only secrecy Of counsel, the only
lack of fearless frankness, the only fail
ure 70 make definite statement Of the
objects Of the war lies with Germany
and her Allies. The issues Of life and
death hang upon these definitions. No
statesman who has the least conception
of his responsibility ought for a mo
nent TO permit himself TO continue this
iragical and appalling outpourings Of
blood and treasure unless he is sure
beyond a peradventure that The objects
Of the vital sacrifice are part and parcel
of the very life Of society and that the
people for whom he speaks think them
right and imperative as he does
There is, moreover, voice calling
for these definitions OF principle aud
OF purpose which is, il seems TO me,
more thrilling and more compelling
than any Of the moving voices with
which the troubled air of the world is
iilled. II is the voice Of the Russian
people. They are PROSTATE and all but
helpless, il would seem, before the grim
power of Germany which has hitherto
known no rclcntlng and no pity. Their
power, apparently. is shattered. And
yet their soul is not subservient. They
will not yield either in principle or In
action. Their conception of what is
right, of what il is humane and hon
Orable for them TO accent. has been
stated with a franhness. largeness of
view. a generosity Of spirit aud uni
NcrSal human sympathy which must
challenge the admiration OF every friend
OF mankind; and they have refused TO
compound their ideals or desert others
that they themselves may he safe.
They call TO us to say what it is That
we desire, in what If anything our pur-
pose and our spirit differ from theirs /.
and | believe that the PEOPLE of the
United States would wish me TO ro-
spond with utter simplicity aud frank
ness. Whether their present leaders be
lieve it or not it is our heartfelt desire
and hope that some way may be
opened whereby we may be privileged
20 assist The people OF Russia 10 at
tain their. utmost hope Of liberty and
ordered peace.
1T will be our wish and purpose that
the processes Of peace. when they are
begun, shall be absolutely open and that
they shall involve and permit no I'M
derstandings Of any kind The day Of
conquest and aggrordizement il gone by (.
so Is also the day OF secret covenants
entered into in the interest Of the par
ticular governments and likely al some
moment 10 upset the peace Of the world.
u is this happy act, now clear 10 ihc
view Of every public man whose
thoughts DO not still linger in an age
that Is dead and gone. which makes il
possible for every nation whose pur-
poses arc consistent with iuslice.and The
peace Of the world TO avov now or any
other In time the objects a. has in view.
We entered this war because yi0-
latons Of right had occurred which
touched us 10 the quick and made the
life of our own people impossible until
they We're corrected and the world se-
cured once for all against their recur-
renee What We demand i'm this war.
therefore is nothing peculiar TO our
selves lt is that the world be- made ne
and safe 10 live in; and particularly
that 10 be made safe for every peace
loving nation which, like our own,
wishes TO live its own life, determine its
own institutions, be assured Of justice
and fair dealing by the other peoples Of
the world as against force and selfish
aggression. All the peoples Of the world
are in effect partners in this interest
and for our own part we see very clear
ly that until Justice be done 10 others
81 win not be done 10 us
THE program ~ the worlds peace
therefore is our program; and that pro-
gram, the only possible program as we
see It is this:
"l-Open covenants Of peace. openly
arriving at after which there shall be
no private international understanding
of any kind but diplomacy shall pro-
ccod always frankly and in the public
view.
''2-AbSolute freedom OF navigation
upon the seas, outside territorial waters,