The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1918-02-21

accounting. He can not ask the bene-
fit of common agreement in the one
field without according it in the other.
take 1t for granted that he sees that
separate and selfish compacts with re.
gard to trade and the essential mate
rials of manufacture would afford no
foundation for peace. Neither, he may
rest assured, will separate and selfish
compacts with regard to provinces and
peoples.
Fundamental Elements Seen.
Count Czernin seems to see the
fundamental elem Its or peace with
clear eyes and does no. seek to OBJ
scure them. He sees that an inde-
pendent Poland, made up of all the in
disputably 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 aspir.
ations must be satisfied, even within
his own empire, in the coHmon inter-
est of Europe and mankind. II he Is
silent about questions which touch the
interest and purpose of his allies more
nearly than they touch those of Aus
tria only, it must of course be because
he feels constrained, suppose, to de-
fer to Germany and Turkey in the cir
cumstances. Seeing and conceding, as
he does, the essential principles in
volved and the necessity of candidly
applying them, he naturally feels that
Austria can respond to the purpose Of
peace as expressed by the United
States with less embarrassment than
could Germany. He would probably
have gone much further had 1t not
been for the embarrassments Of Aus
| trias alliances and of her dependence
upon Germany.
after all, the test of whether it 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
essential justice of that particular case
and upon such adjustments as are
most likely to bring a peace that will
be permanent;
"Second-That peoples and prov.
inces are not to be bartered about
from sovereignty to sovereignty as If
they were mere chattels and pawns
in game, even the great game, now
forever discredited, of the balance of
power; but that
"Third-Every territorial settle
ment involved in this war must be
made in the interest and for the bene.
fit of the populations concerned, and
not as a part of any mere adjustment
or compromise Of claims amongst
rival states; and
"Fourth-That all well-defined ma
tional aspirations shall be accorded
the utmost satisfaction that can be
accorded 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
U. S. Must Go On.
"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
regard as fundamental are already
everywhere accepted as imperative
except among the spokesman of the
military and annexationist party in
Germany. If they have anywhere else
been rejected, the objectors have not
been sufficiently numerous or inf1uen-
tial to make their voices audible. The
/ tragical circumstance is that this one
party in Germany is apparently 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 true spokesman of
the people Of the United States if l
did not say once more that we en-.
tered this war upon no small occasion
and that we can never turn back from
course chosen upon principle. Our
resources are in part modified now
and we shall not pause until they are
mobilized in their entirety. Our arm
les are rapidly going to the fighting
front and will go more and more rap
idly.
Our whole strength will be put
into this war of emancipation
emancipation from the threat and
attempted mastery of selfish
groups of autocratic rulers
whatever the difficulties and pres
ent partial delays. We are in
dominable in our power Of inde-
pendent action and can in no cir
cumstancHs consent to live in a
world governed by intrigue and
force. We believe that our own
desire for a new international or
der under which reason and JUS
tice and the common interests
of mankind shall prevail is the
desire of enlightened men every
where. Without that new order
the world will be without peace
and human life will lack tolera-
BILE conditions of existence and de-
velopment Having set our hand
to the task of achieving it we
shall not turn back.
Il 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
spoken thus only that the whole world
may know that our passion for JUS
tice and for self-government is no
mere passion of words but a passion
which, once set in action, must be sat
isfied. The power of tfI9 United
States is a menace to no nation or peo-
pie. 1t will never be used in aggres-
sion or for the aggrandizement of any
selfish interest of our own. It springs
out of freedom and is for the service
.