The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1918-02-15
PRESIDENT DEFINES
BASIS FOR A PEACE
DRIVES A POWERFUL WEDGE
BETWEEN THE AusTRo.
GERMAN ALLIANCE
CANNOT DEAL WITH GERMANY
Won HertlIng's Speech Offers No Basis
for Dlscussion-Unlted States Will
Not Turn Back Until a Just
Peace Is Secured.

Washilgton.-Pre Wilson, ad
dressing Congress in joint session re-
piled to the recent speeches by Ger
man Chancellor Won Hertling, and the
Austrian foreign minister, Count
CZernin.
The president reiterated that the
United States had no desire to inter
fere in European affairs, and would
disdain to take advantage of any in
ternal weakness or disorder to impose
her own will upon another people"
Following the custom inaugurated
with other addresses Of its kind, Presi-
dent Wilson's words today will be
cabled by the government to all the prin-
cipal capitals of the world In this way
the government hopes to get Mr. Will
sons answer to Hertling and Czernin to
the ears OF the people OF Germany. Aus
tria and Russia.
The Address In Full.
President Wilson spoke as follows:
Gentlemen OF the Congress-On the
eighth OF January ! had the honor OF
addressing you on the objects of the
war as our people conceive them. The
prime minister of Great Britain had
spoken in similar terms on the fifth OF
January. To these addresses the Ger
man chancellor replied on the 24th and
Count Czernin, for Austria, on the same
day. 1t is gratifying to have our desire
so promptly realized that all exchanges
of views on this great matter should be
made in the hearing OF all the world.
Count Czernin's reply, which is direct
ed chiefly to my own address of the
eighth of January. Is uttered in a very
III. l. f,, ~fa ton, ant
a sufficiently encouraging approach to
the views Of his own government to JUS
tify him in believing that 1t furnishes
basis for more detailed discussion OF
purposes by the two governments He
Is represented to have minated that
the views he was expressing nad oeen
communicated to me beforehand and that
/ was aware Of them at the time he was
uttering them; but In this am sure he
was misunderstood. | mad received no
intimation of what he intended to say.
There was, of course, no reason why ne
should communicate privately with me,
/ am quite content TO be one Of his pub
lie audience.
Speech Confusing.
Count Won Hertling's reply is, l must
say, very vague and very confusing. II
is full OF equivocal phrases and leads
IL Is not clear where, But Is certainly
in a very different tone from that OF
Count CZernin, and apparently Of an OPP
IL
to say. rather than removes, the un-
fortunate impression made by what we
had learned OF the conferences at Brest-
Litovsk.
His discussion and acceptance of our
general principles lead him to no practl-
cal conclusions. He refuses to apply
them to the substantive items which
must constitute the body OF any final
settlement. He is jealous OF lnterna-
tional counsel He accepts, ne says. the
~ diplnUnapV
appears TO insist that II must be con-
fined, at any rate In this case, to gen.
eralities and that the several particular
questions of territory and sovereignty
the several questions upon whose settle.
ment must depend the acceptance OF
peace by the "a states now engaged IN
the war, must be discussed and settled
by the nations most Immediately con-
cerned by interest or neighborhoou'
He agrees that the seas should pe tree,
but looks askance at any limitation TO
that freedom by international action IN
the interest of common order. He would
without reserve be glad to see economic
barriers removed between nation ana
nation, for that could in no way impede
the ambitions of the military party with
whom he seems constrained TO Keep on
terms. Neither does he raise oDlecuon
TO a limitation OF ornaments. That mat
ter will be settleu of itself, he thinks, by
the economic conditions which must fol~
low the war.
nut the German colonies, he demands,
must be returned without debate. lie
will discuss with no one but me repre-
sentatives of Russia what disposition
shall be made Of the peoples and the
lands OF the Baltic provinces; with no
one but the government OF france lne
conditions under which French terri
tory shall be evacuated and only with
Austria what shall be done with Poland.
In the determination Of all questions al
fecting the Balkan states, he refers, as
i understand him, to Austria and Tur-
key; and with regard 10 the agreements
To- be entered into concerning the nom
Turkish peoples of the present Ottoman
empire. 10 the Turkish authorities Them
selves. After settlement all around
effected In this fashion by Individual bar
Ter and concession, he would have no
objection, II / correctly interpret his
statement TO a league OF nations which
would undertake to hold the new balance
of power steady against external dis
turbances.
understands what this war has wrought
in the opinion and temper Of the world
that no general peace, no peace worth the
infinite sacrifices OF these years OF
tragical suffering, can possibly pc arrived ss
German chancellor proposes Is the meth |
cd OF the congress OF Vienna.
4 Cannot Accept.
We cannot and will not return 70 that. |
What 4 at stake now is the peace OF
the world. What we are striving FOR Is i
a new International order based upon
broad and universal principles of right
and iustice-no mere peace OF shreds and
matches Is II possible that Count Won
Hertling does not see that, does not grasp /
il, Is in fact living in his thought in
world dead and gomez Has he utterly /
forgotten the reichstag resolutions Of the
18th OF July, or does he deliberately ig-
more them? They spoke OF the conditions /
OF a general peace, not OF national Ag-
grandizement or Of arrangements between
The peace Of the world depends upon
the lust settlement Of each OF the sew
eral problems to which i adverted IN my
recent address to the congress. i, OF
course. DO not mean that the peace Of
the world depends upon the acceptance
OF any particular set or suggestions as 10 /
the way In which those problems are 10 /
be dealt with. l mean only tnat those /
problems each and all affect the whoie /
world; that unless they are dealt with in
a spirit OF unselfish and unbiased justice,
wtth a view to the wishes. the natural
connections. the racial aspirations, the
security. and the peace OF mind OF ths
peoples involved. no permanent peace
M nave been attained. They cannot |
he discussed separately or in corners. /
None Of them constitutes private or 4
separate interest from which the opinion 4
Of the world may be smut out.
Whatever affects the peace affects
raaukfnd and nothing settled BY military 4
tree. II settled wrong. Is settled al all /
II viii presently nave 70 oe re-0peneo /
Il Count van Hsrtling not aware that
he a speaking IN the court OF mankind, 4
fhaf al the awakened nations Of the
world now SIT in Judgment on what every
ruhiic man. az whatever nation, may 4
sav on the issues Of a conflict Wnich nAs
srresd TO every region Of the world
me reichstag resolutions Of July them