McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1918-01-18

them to accept, had been stated with A
frankness, a largeness Of view, a gem
erosity Of spirit, and a universal human,
sympathy, which must challenge the ad.
miration Of every friend of mankind and
they, have refused to compound their
ideals or desert others that they them
selves may be safe They call to us To
say what 1t is that we DESIRE in what,
II anything, our purpose and our spirit
differ from theirs; and l believe that
the people Of the United States would
wish me to respond. with utter simpIic-
ity and frankness. Whether their pres
emit leaders believe it or not, 1t is our
heartfelt desire and hope that some way
may be opened whereby we may be
privileged to assist the people of Rus.
STA to attain their utmost hope of lib.
erty and ordered peace.
No Secret Negotiations.
1t Will be our wish and purpose that
the processes OF peace, when they are
begun, shall be absolutely open and that
they shall involve and permit heneeforth
no secret understandings of any kind.
The day of conquest and ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Is gone by; so Is also the day Of secret
covenants entered into in the interest
or particular governments and likely at
some unlooked-for moment to upset the
peace Of the world. 1t is this happy fact
now clear to the view of every public
man whose thoughts do not still iinger in
an age that Is dead and gone, which
makes 1t possible for every nation whose
purposes are consistent with justice and
the peace Of the world to avow or at
view.
We entered this war because viola
tons 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. A. il
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
peoples of the world are in effect part
ners In this interest and for our own
part we see very clearly that unless JUS
tice be done to others it will not pc lone
10 US. The program of the world 9
peace therefore is our program; and
that program, the only possible program,
Americas Terms.
l. open covenants OF peace, openly
arrived at, after which there shall be no
private International understandings of
any kind but diplomacy shall 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
py international action for the enforce
ment of international covenants.
g. 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.
taken that national ornaments will be
reduced to the lowest points consistent
with domestic safety.
o. A free, open-minded and absolutely
I'm adjustment Of all colonial
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 10
to be determined.
Evacuation Of Russia.
g. The evacuation of all Russian ter.
ritory and such a settlement of all ques-
tions affecting Russia as will secure the
best and freest congregation 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
sincere welcome into the society Of
free nations under institutions of her
own choosing and more than a welcome,
assistance also of every kind that she
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 unselfish
sympathy.
T. Belgium, the whole world will
agree, must be evacuated and restored,
without any attempt to limit the SOW
ereignty which she enjoys in common
other free
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
Without this healing act the whole
structure and validity Of international
law is forever impaired.
s. 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- Lorraine,
which has unsettled the peace of the
world for nearly SO years, should be
arighted in order that peace may once
more be made secure in the interest Of
ALL
ReadIust Italy.
8. readjustment of the frontiers of
Italy should be effected along clearly
recognizable lines of nationality.
TO- 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.
II. Rumania, Serbia and Montenegro
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-
rity of the several Balkan states should
be entered into.
H. The Turkish portions of the pres
ent Ottoman empire should be assured a
secure sovereignty, but the other ma
tionalities which are now under Turkish
rule should be assured and undoubted
Tested opportunity Of autonomous de-
velopment, 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
fitories inhabited by indisputably Polish
populations, which should be assured q
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 Of mut an
Territorial integrity to great and small
states alike.
In regard to these essential ratifica-
lions of wrong and assertions of right,
we feel ourselves to be intimate part
ners of all the governments and peoples
associated together against the imper-
ialists. We cannot be separated In in
terest or divided in purpose. We stand
together until the end
Fluht to the Finish.
For such arrangements and covenants
we are willing to fight and continue to
fight until thew are achieved; but only
because we wish the right to prevail and
desire just and stable peace. such as
can be secured only by removing the
chief provocations to war. which this
program does remove. We have no jeal-
ousy of German greatness, and there is
nothing in this program that impairs 1t.
we grudge ifer no achievement or dis
tinction of learning or, Of pacific enter.
prise sucn as have made her record Yer"
bright and very envlous. We do II I
wish to injure her or to block in f"S
way her legitimate influence or power.
CHI al tyit