The Washington herald., 1918-11-12

| 1t Is lnCOnCelNdDie tndt beTfIldny
should long remain in an anarchistic
state.
II reports coming from there are
true-and they probably are to some
extent-the nation is quivering under
the strain OF most unusual hap
penings.
But to those who have studied the
history of Germany it seems unlikely
that such a state of affairs will long
remain. The better judgment of the
| German people, which we are con-
WINGED has for some time demanded
change in government will take
hold of the people generally and be-
come the stepping stone to CO.
herent nation firmly opposed to au-
tocratic government.
The principal obstacle-the Kaiser
and his principles-has been removed.
! His abdication means the end of all
that is bad for the Germans. Now
it is UP to them to build on the sub
stantial rock OF free government
and to take their places beside other
nations which have long been ground
ed in humanitarian essentials.
| Members OF the American Congress
will follow events with the closest
| interest.
| For America must offer some aid to
the Germans, it is apparent now, in
| establishing themselves in the proper
kind of a government. The task is
| different than it was realized sew
eral months ago it would be when
peace approached.
Must Germany be split up into
smaller nations, more on parity
! with some of the smaller peoples this
I rfNNr aF-T,r NaFNf ha1 II
Or must Germany adhere in it's
original form largely and go on with
democratic government?
These are questions to the front
of history today. They are to be
settled within the next six months
! perhaps sooner. What the attitude
of the allies will be. in this new
and sudden question, no one can tell
| exactly. One thing is certain, how
ever: the German units will be given
no opportunity to assume form where
| they later can make trouble for the
\ world. The allies will see to this
and perhaps the German people will
see to it themselves that their own
| government, in this respect. Is so
! shaped that no more turmoil can he
brought upon them by designing and
ambitious rulers.
England. France. Italy. Japan and
the United States-the coherent,
| substantial nations of the world,
must constitute the backbone of the
league of nations which is to he
established. These nations will cv-
ercise guardianship over the
smaller nations and protect them
| from each other as we'll as from
: h Ia l.. 8.
But President Wilson has spoken
upon some OF the subjects in such
a way that no man lesser than him
in this nation can not speak differ
emily or seek to amplify or modify
those terms. He spoke in this con-
| nection to the congress of the United
/ States on the 22d day of January.
/ l9l7-before we entered the con-
! fiCt-and after he had addressed
note to the contesting powers ask
ing them what were their war aims.
We quote from his message at that
time:
The equality of nations upon
which peace must be founded il it
is to last must be an equality Of
rights; the guarantees exchanged
must neither recognize nor imply
a difference between big nations and
small. between those that are pow
erful and those that are weak.
| Right must be based upon the COM
mon strength. not upon the indi-
| vidual strength. of the nations upon
whose concert peace will depend
! Equality of territory or of resources
there, of course can not be; nor any
| other sort OF equality not gained in
the ordinary peaceful and legiti-
mate development Of the people
| themselves. But no one asks or
expects anything more than an
equality of rights. Mankind is look
| ing now for freedom of life. not for
equipoises of power
/ And there is a deeper thing in
vOlved than even equality of right
among organized nations. No peace
can last, or ought to last, which does
not recognize and accept the principle
| that governments derive all their Just
| powers from the consent of the gov
erned. and that no right anywhere
! exists to hand peoples about from
sovereignty as II they were property
| | take it for granted. for instance, if
l may venture upon a single example.
that statesmen everywhere are agreed
that there should be a united. indie
! pendent and autonomous Poland. and
! that henCeforth inviolable security of
life, of worship, and of Industrial and
social development should be guaran-
teed to all peoples who have lived
hitherto under the power of govern
ments devoted to a faith and pur-
| pose hostile TO their own"
THE 0RSEpUEP