The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1918-02-15

the maintenance of civilization. one
cannot see her way to peace until the
causes of this war are removed, lis re-
newal rendered, as nearly as may BE-
impossible.
"The war had it's roots in the dlSre-
gard of the rights of small nations ana
of nationalities which lacked the union
and the force to make good their
claim to determine their own ALE
giances and their own forms OF po-
litical life.
Covenants must now be entered
into which will render such things I'M
possible for the future; and those COW
enants must be backed by the united
force of all the nations that love JUS
tice and are willing to maintain it at
any cost.
Count Czernin seems to see the
fundamental elements of peace with
clear eyes and does not seek to OBJ
scure them. He sees that an independ-
ent Poland, made up of all the indis-
putably Polish peoples who lie con-
tiguous to one another, is 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 aSpira-
tons must be satisfied even within his
own empire in the common interest of
Europe and mankind.
''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.
Principles to Be Applied.
The principles to be applied are
these:
81. That each part of the final set
Element must be based upon the essen
tial justice Of that particular cause
and upon such adjustments as are most
likely to bring peace that will be per-
manent.
"2. That peoples and provinces are
not to be bartered about from SOW
ereignty to sovereignty as if they were
mere chattels and pawns in a game,
even the great game, now forever dis
credited, of the balance of power;
but that,
So Every territorial settlement in
volyed in this war must be made in
the interest and for the benefit of the
populations concerned and not as a
part of any adjustment or compromise
of claims among rival states; and
hO+ nj wall 1nfnn1 81
aspirations shall be accorded the ut
most satisfaction that can be accord
ed them without introducing new or
perpetuating old elements of discord
and antagonism that would be likely
to break the peace of Europe and con-
sequently of the world.
Only Germany Fails to Concur.
ga general peace erected on 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 re-
gard as fundamental are already
everywhere accepted as imperative ex-
cept among the spokesman of the mil
itary and annexationist party in Ger
many. The tragical circumstance is
that this one party in, Germany is ap-
parently willing and able to send mil
lions 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
I did not say once more that we en-
tered this war upon no small occasion
and that we never can turn back from
q course chosen upon principle Our
resources are in part modified now
and we shall not pause until they are
modified in their entirety Our armies
are rapidly going to the fighting front
and will go more and more rapidly.
sour whole strength will be put into
this war of cipation-emancip
ton from the threat and attempted
mastery of selfish groups of autocratic
rulers-whatever the difficulties and
present partial delays.
1--WE Shall Not Turn Back"
1--WE are indomitable in our power
of Independent action and can in no
circumstance consent to live in a world
governed by. intrigue and force. We
believe that our own desire for a new
international order under which rea-
son and justice and the common inter-
ests of mankind shall prevail is the
desire of enlightened men everywhere.
Without that new order the world will
be without peace and human life will
lack tolerable conditions of existence
and development. Having set our hand
to the task of achieving it we shall
not turn back.
II hope that it is not necessary for
me to add that no word of what
have said is intended as a threat.
''The power of the United States is
a menace to no nation or people. 1t
will never be used in aggression or
for the aggrandizement- of any selfish
interest of our own. 1t springs out of
Freedom and is for the service of frno