Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1918-02-15

The peace of the world depends upon
the just settlement of each of the sew
eral problems to which | adverted in
my recent address to the congress.
"They cannot be discussed separate
ly or in corners. None of them cOnsti-
tutes a private or separate interest
from which the opinion of the world
may be shut out. Whatever affects
the peace affects mankind, and moth
ing settled by military force, if set
tied wrong, is settled at all. 1t will
presently have to be reopened.
Refers to Reichstag Resolutions.
SIS Count Won Hertling not aware
that he is speaking in the court of
mankind, that all the awakened ma
tons of the world now sit in judgment
on what every public man of whatever
nation may say on the issues of con-
f1ict which has spread to every re-
gion of the World? The reichstag reso-
lutions of July themselves frankly ac-
cepted the decisions of that court.
There shall be no annexations, no con-
tributiOns, no punitive damages. Peo-
pies are not to be handed about from
one sovereignty to another by an inter-
national conference or an understand
ing between rivals and antagonists. Ma
tiOnal aspirations must be respected,
peoples may now be dominated and
governed only by their own consent.
"Self- Determination" imperative.
'Self-determinatiOn' is not q mere
phrase, it is an imperative principle of
action, which statesmen will hence
forth ignore at their peril. All the par
ties to this war must join in the settle
ment of every issue anywhere involved
in it, because what we are seeking is a
peace that we can all unite to guaran-
tee and maintain and every item of it
must be submitted to the common judg-
ment whether it be right or fair, an act
of justice rather than a bargain be-
tween sOvereigns.
"The United States has no desire to
Interfere in European affairs or to act
as arbiter in European territorial dis
putes. She would disdain to take adj
vantage of any internal weakness or
disorder to impose her own will upon
another people. She is quite ready
to be shown that the settlements she
has suggested are not the best or the
most enduring. They are only her own
the way in which they should be ap-
piled.
Causes Must Be Removed
"But she entered this war because
she was made a partner, whether she
would or not, in the sufferings and in
dignities inflicted by the military mas
tiers of Germany, against the peace and
security Of mankind, and the condi-
lions of peace will touch her as nearly
as they will touch any other nation to
which is entrusted a leading part in
the maintenance of civilization. She
| cannot see her way to peace until the
causes of this war are removed, it's re-
neWal rendered, as nearly as may be,
| impossible.
1.-The war had it's roots in the diSre-
gard of the rights of small nations and
of natiOnalities which lacked the union
|
claim to determine their own allie
| giances and their own forms of DO
Iitical life.
covenants must now be entered into
which will render such things impos-
sible for the future; and those cove
nants 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 Won Hertling wants the es-
sential bases of commercial and indus
trial life to be safeguarded by COM
mon agreement and guaranty, but he
cannot expect that to be conceded him
If the other matters to be determined
| by the articles of peace are not handled
in the same way as items in the final
accounting.
"No Foundation for Peace"
He cannot ask the benefit of COM
mon agreement in the one field with
| out according it in the other l take
it for granted that he sees that separ-
! ate and selfish cOmpactS with regard to
| trade and the essential materials of
manufacture would afford no founda-
ton for peace. Neither, he may rest
assured, will separate and selfish COM
pactS with regard to provinces and
peoples.
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 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 aSpira-
tions must be satisfied even within his
own empire in the common interest of
Europe and mankind.
Seeing and conceding as he does
the essential principles involved 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 Ger
/ p,opu Ho would Droha blv b0va 0ono