Meade County news., 1918-01-17

WOTlQ ID .lliBu. ~ ~ tue NOlCo VI IHo
Russian people.
"They are prostrate and all but help
less, it would seem, before the grim
power Of Germany, which has hither-
to known no relenting and no pity.
Their power, apparently, is shattered.
And vet their soul is not subserVient.
They will not yield either in principle
or in action.
Their conception of what is right,
of what is humane and honorable for
them to accept, has been stated with
frankness, largeness Of view, a
generosity of spirit and a universal
human sympathy which must chal-
lenge the admiration of every friend
of mankind; and they have refused to
compound their ideals or desert others
that they themselves may be safe.
They call on us to say what 1t is that
we desire; in what, If anything, our
purpose and our spirit differ from
theirs.
America Should Answer.
"And l believe that the people of
the United States would wish me to
respond, with utter simplicity and
frankness Whether their present
leaders believe it or not, it is our
heartfelt desire that some way may be
opened whereby we may be privileged
to assist the people of Russia to at
tain their utmost hope of liberty and
ordered peace.
Why America 10 in the War.
I'VE entered this war because vio-
lations of right had occurred which
touched us to the quick and made the
life of our own people impossible I'M
less they were corrected and the world
secured once for all against their re-
currence.
What we demand in this war,
therefore, is nothing peculiar to our
selves. 1t is that the world be made
fit and safe to live in; and particu-
larly that 1t be made safe for every
peace loving nation which, like our
own, wishes to live its own life, deter
mine its own institutions, be assured
of justice and fair dealing by the 9th
er people 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 unless justice be done to
others it will not be done to us.
Peace Only on This Basis.
"The program Of the worlds peace,
therefore, is our program and that
program, the only possible program,
as we see 1t, is this:
l. Open covenants of peace, open
ly arrived at, after which there shall
be no private international under
standings of any kind, but diplomacy
shall proceed always frankly and in
the public view.
2. Absolute freedom Of navigation
upon the seas, outside territorial
waters, alike in peace and in war, ex-
cept as the seas may be closed in
whole or in part by international ac-
tion for the enforcement of interna.
tional covenants.
No More Economic Barriers.
3. The removal so far as possible
of all economic barriers and the es-
tablishment of an equality of trade
conditions among all the nations con-
senting to the peace and associating
themselves for its maintenance.
4. Adequate guarantees given and
taken that national armaments will
be reduced to the lowest points con-
sistent with domestic safety.
5. A free, open minded and abso-
lutely impartial adjustment of all
colonial claims based upon a strict
observance of the principle that in
determining all such questions of SOW
ereignty the interests of the popula-
tions concerned must have equal
weight with the equitable claims of
the government whose title is to be
determined. =" "'.' 't.'
Must Restore Russian Lands.
6. The evacuation OF all Russia ter
ritory and such a settlement of all
questions affecting Russia as will Sc
cure the best and freest cooperation
of the nations of the world in obtain
ing for her an unhampered and un-
embarrassed opportunity for the in
dependent determination of her own
political development and national
policy and assure her of sincere well
come into the society of free nations
under institutions of her own choos-
ing; and, more than welcome, as
sistance of every kind that she may
need and may herself desire. The
treatment accorded Russia by her sis
ter nations in the months to come
will be the acid test Of their good will,
of their comprehension of her needs
and distinguished from their own in
terests, and of their intelligent and
unselfish sympathy.
For a Belgium Free and Restored.
Z. Belgium, the whole world will
agree, must be evacuated and re-
stored, without any attempt to limit
the sovereignty which she enjoys in
common with all other free nations.
No other single act will serve as this
will serve to restore confidence among
the nations in the laws which they
have themselves set and determined
for the government of their relations
a a. l..