The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-02-21

| by the articles Of peace are not hand
| led in the same way as items in Che
final accounting.
| He cannot ask the benefit OF COM
mon agreement in the one field with
out according in the other. ! take 1t
| for granted that he sees that separate
and selfish compacts with regard to
trade and the essential materials o.
| manufacture would afford no founda-
ton for peace. Neither, he may rest
assured, will separate and selfish com
pacts with regard TO provinces and
| peoples.
Count Czernin seems to see the
fundamental elements Of peace with
clear eyes and does not seek TO op'
scure them. He sees that an independ-
ent Poland, made up Of all the indis'
putably Polish peoples who lie con-
tiguous to one another, is a matter OF
European concern and must, of course,
be conceded that Belgium must
be evacuated and restored, no matter
what sacrifices and concessions that
may involve; and that national aspira'
tions must be satisfied, even within his
own empire, in the common interest OF
Europe and mankind.
If he is silent about questions which
touch the interest and purpose OF his
allies more nearly than they touch
those of Austria only, il must, OF
course. be because he feels constrain'
ed, suppose, TO defer to Germany
and Turkey in the circumstances. See
ing and concedjng, as he does, the es'
sential principles involved and the
necessity of candidly applying them'
he naturally feels that Austria can re-
spond to the purpose of peace as ex'
pressed by the United States with less
embarrassment than could Germany.
He would probably have gone much
farther had it not been for the embar-
rassment of Austria's alliances and OF
her dependence upon Germany
after all. the test of whether 1t is
possible for either government TO go
any further in this comparison OF views
is simple and obvious. The principles
to be applied are these:
First. that each part of the final
settlement must be based upon the es'
sential Justice of that particular case
and upon such adjustments as are
most likely to bring peace that Will
be permanent;
Second, that peoples and provinces
are not to be bar,ered about from SOW
ereignty to sovereignty as If they were
mere chattels and pawns In a game,
even the great game, now forever dis
credited, Of the balance Of power; but
that
"Third, every territorial settlement
involved in this war must be made in
the interest and for the benefit of the
populafions concerned, and not as
part of any mere adjustment or COM
promise of claims among rival states;
and,
Fourth, that all well-defned ma
tional aspirations shall be accorded the
utmost satisfaction that can be accord
ed them without introducing new or
perpetuating old elements of discord
and antagonism that would be likely
in time to break the peace of Europe
and consequently of the world.
"a general peace erected upon such
foundations can be discussed. Until
such a peace can be secured we have
no choice but to go on. So far as we
can Judge, these principles that we re-
gard as fundamental are already every
where accepted as imperative, except
among the spokesman of the military
and annexationist party in Germany.
If they have anywhere else been re-
jected the objectors have not been
sufficiently numerous or influential to
make their voices audible,
"The tragical circumstance is that
this one party in Germany is apparent
ly willing and able to send millions of
men to their death to prevent what all
the world now sees to be just
81 would not be a true spokesman
of the people of the United States If |
did not say once more that we entered
this war upon no small occasion, and
that we can never turn back from
course chosen upon principle. Our re-
sources are in part modified now, and
we shall not pause until they are
mobilzed in their entirety.
"Our armies are rapidly going to
the fighting front, and will go more
and more rapidly Our whole strength
will be put into this war of emancipa-
tion-emancipation from the threat
and attempted mastery of selfish
groups of autocratic rulers-whateve
the difficulties and present partial de-
lays. We are indomitable in our pow
er of independent action and can in
no circumstances consent to live In a
world governed by intrigue and force.
We believe that our own desire for a
new international order under which
reason and justice and the common in
terests of mankind shall prevail is the
desire of enlightened men everywhere.
Without that new order the world will
be without peace and human life will
lack tolerable conditions of existence
and development. Having set our
hand to the task of achieving it, we
shall not turn back
81 hope that it is not necessary for
me to add that no word of what | have
said is intended as a threat. That is
not the temper of our people. have