Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-01-18
PEACE TERMS ARE
GIVEN BY wilson
Must Restore AISace and Belgi-
um, Is Declaration of the
President.
OUTLINES FOURTEEN STEPS
lReorganize Countries on Lines Of Ma
tionaIities or Fight to Death, VIII
son Says Of Peaee-lnsists on
Evacuation of Russian
Territory.

Washington, Jan. 9.-Open and free
consideration of covenants of peace IS
the only way permanent peace can be
secured. President Wilson told a spe-
'cial session of congress.
He restated specifically and emphat-
1cally the peace aims of the allies, so
far as the United States is concerned
for the benefit of the Russian people.
The president spoke as follows:
Gentlemen of the Congress-: Once
more, as repeatedly before the spokes-
men Of the central empires have indi-
Gated their desire to discuss the OBJ
1ects of the war and the possible basis
of general peace.
"Parleys have been in progress at
Brest-Lit0vsk between representatives
of the central powers to which the
attention of all the belligerents has
been invited, for the purpose of ascer-
tanning whether 1t may be possible to
extend these parleys into a general
conference with regard to terms Of
peace and settlement.
Presented Definite Statement.
"The Russian representatives pre-
sented not only q perfectly definite
statement Of the principles upon which
they would be willing to conclude
peace, but also an equally definite pro-
gram Of the concrete application of
those principles.
'"The representatives Of the central
powers, on their part, presented an
outline Of settlement which, If much
less definite. seemed susceptible of lib
eral Interpretation until their specific
program of practical terms was added.
"rhe program proposed no conces-
sions at all, either to sovereignty of
Russia or to the preferences Of the
population with whose fortunes 1t
dealt. but meant in a word. that the
central empires were to keep every
foot Of territory their armed forces had
occupied-every province, every city,
every point Of vantage-as a perma-
nent addition to their territories and
their power.
Full Of Significance.
"The Russian representatives were
sincere and in earnest. They cannot
entertain such proposals of conquest
and domination.
"The whole incident Is full of sig
nilcance, II is also full Of perplexity.
THE Russian representatives have
Insisted, very justly, very wisely and
In the true spirit Of democracy, that
the conferences they have been hold
Ing with the Teutonlc and Turkish
statesmen should be held within open,
not closed, doors. and all the world has
been audience as was desired To
whom have we been listening then
To those who speak the spirit and in
tentiOn Of the resolutions of the Ger
man reichstag on the 9th of July last,
the spirit and intention Of the liberal
leaders and parties of Germany, or. to
those who resist and defy that spirit
and Intention and insist upon conquest
and subjugntion2 Or are we listening
In fact to both unreconciled and in
open and hopeless contradiction
These are very serious and pregnant
questions.
World Peace at Stake.
upon the answer to them depends
the peace Of the world.
"But whatever the results of the mar
leys at Brest-Lltovsk, whatever the
confusions of counsel and of purpose
In the utternnces of the spokesmen OF
the central empires, they have agair
attempted to acquaint the world with
their objects In the war and have
again challenged their adversaries Il
say what their objects are and what
sort Of settlement they would deem
Just and satisfactory.
"'There is no good reason why tha
challenge should not be responded t,
and responded to with the utmost can
dor. We did not wait for 1t. Not once
but again and again we have laid ou
whole thought and purpose before tn,
world, not in general terms only, bu
each time with sufficient definition [,
make 1t clear what sort of definitiy
terms of settlement must necessarIl,
spring out of them.
Lauds Lloyd Georges Speech.
"Within the last week Mr.. Lloy,
George has spoken with admirable cap
dor and in admirable spirit for the pee
pie and government Of Great Britain
There is no confusion of counse
among the adversaries of the centrs
powers. no uncertainty of principle. n
vagueness of detail
"rhc only secrecy of counsel, tn
only lack of fearless frankness, tn