Carroll County democrat. (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971, 1918-01-18


OF particular governments ana likely at
some unlooked-for moment to upset the
peace q the world IL is this happy fact
now clear to the view Of every public
man whose thoughts do not still linger In
an age that Is dead and gone, which
makes II possible for every nation whose
purposes are consistent with justice and
the peace Of the world to avoW or at
any other time tho objects II has 10
view.
We entered this war because viola
tions OF right had occurred. which
touched us to the quick and made the life
of our own people impossible unless they
were corrected and the world secured
once for all against their recurrence.
What we demand in this war, therefore,
is nothing peculiar to ourselves. Al Is
that the world be made fit and safe 10
live in; and particularly that 1t be made
safe for every peace loving nation, which
like our own. wishes to live it's own life,
determine its own institutions, be as
sured 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 part
ners in this interest and for our own
pait we see very clearly that unless JUS
tice be done to others 1t viii not be lone
TO us. The program OF the worlds
peace therefore is our program; and
that program, the orly possible program,
as we see it is:
fAiIEtiGo lNIFtSs
1. Open covenants of peace, openly
arrived at, after which there shall be no
private international understandings Of
any kind but diplomacy snail 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, except as the
seas may be closed in whole or in part
by international action for the enforce
ment Of international covenants.
3. The removal so far as possible, Of
all economic barriers and the establish
ment of an equality Of trade conditions
among all the nations consenting to the
peace and associating themselves for its
maintenance.
4, Adequate guarantees given and
taken that national ornaments will be
reduced to the lowest points consistent
with domestic safety.
g. A free, openminded and absolutely
impartial adjustment of all colonial
claims, based upon a strict observance
of the principle that in determining all
such questions OF sovereignty the inter-
ests Of the populations concerned must
have equal weight with the equitable
claims of the government whose title Is
to be determined
Evacuation o. Russia.
8. The evacuation of all Russian ter
ritory and such a settlement Of all ques-
tons affecting Russia as will secure the
best and freest cooperation Of the Other
nations OF the world in obtaining for her
an unhampered and unembarrassed OPP
portunity for the Independent determine
ton OF her own political development
and national policy, and assure her OF
sincere welcome into the society OF
free nations under institutions OF her
own choosng and more than a welcome,
assistance also Of every kind that she
may need and herself desire
The treatment accorded Russia by her
sister nations in the months to come
will be the acid test Of their good will
OF their comprehension of her needs as
distinguished from their own interests
and OF their intelligent and unsefish
sympathy.
Z. Belgium, the whole world will
agree, must be evacuated and restored,
without any attempt to limit the SOW
ereignty 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 with one another.
Without this healing act the whole
structure and validity Of international
law is forever impaired.
8. All French territory should be freed
and the invaded portions restored and
the wrong done to France by Prussia In
1871, in the matter of Alsace-L Lorraine,
which has unsettled the peace Of the
arighted in order that peace may once
more be made secure in the interest Of
all.
2. readjustment of the frontiers OF
Italy should be effected along clearly
recognizable lines of nationality.
10. The peoples of Austria Hungary.
whose place among the nations we wish
to see safeguarded and assured should
be accorded the freest opportunity Of
autonomous development
n
should be evacuated; occupied territories
restored; Serbia, accorded free and Sc
cure access to the sea; and the relations
of the several Balkan states to one an
other determined by friendly counsel
along Historically established lines Of al
legiance and nationality; and interna-
tional guarantees Of the people and eco
nomic independence and territorial integ-
Tity Of the several Balkan states should
be entered into.
70. The Turkish portions Of the press
ent Ottoman empire should be assured
secure sovereignty, but the other ma
tionalities which are now under Turkish
rule should be assured and undoubted
security OF life and an absolutely unmo-
Tested opportunity Of autonomous de-
yelopment, and the Dardanelles should
be permanently opened as free pass
age to the ships and commerce OF all
nations, under International guarantees.
49, An Independent Polish state should
be erected. which should include the ter
ritories inhabited by ifdisputably Polish
populations which should be assured
free and secure access to the sea, and
whose political and economic independ-
ence and territorial integrity should be
guaranteed by international covenant.
Ia. A general association Of nations
must be formed, under specific coven-
ants for the purpose Of affording mutual
guarantees Of political Independence and
territorial integrity to great and small
states alike.
In regard to these essential ratifica-
tions of wrong and assertions OF right,
we feel ourselves to be intimate part
associated together against the imper-
ialists We cannot be separated in in-l
terest or divided in purpose. We stand
together until the end.
Fight to the Finish.
For such arrangements and covenants
we are. willing to fight and continue to
fight until thev are achieved; but only
because we wish the right to prevail and
desire a just and stable peace, such as
can be secured only by removing the
chief provocatfonS to war, which this
program does remove. We have no Jeal-
ousy of German greatness, and there Is
nothing in this program that impaifs 1t.
We grudge her no achievement or dis
tinction of learning or Of pacific enter
prise such as have made her record very
bright and very envious. We do not
wish to injure her or to block in any
way her legitimate influence or power.
We do not wish to fight her, either with
arms or with hostile arrangements of
trade, If she is willing to associate her.
self with US and the other peace-lovinP
nations of the world in covenants Of JUS
tice and law and fair dealing. We wish
her only to accept n place of equality
among the peoples of tho world-the new
world in which we now live--instead OF
a place of mastery.
Neither do we presume to suggest to
her any alteration OF modification Of
her institutions But II Is necessary
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