Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-02-14

return to that. What is at stake now is
the peace Of the world. What we are
striving for is new international Odessa
upon broad and universal principles of
right and Justice, no mere peace Of shreds
and patches.
PERHAPS HERTL1NG DOESN'T SEE.
Is 1t possible that Count Won Hertling
does not see that. does not grasp 1t, Is in
fact living in his thought in world
OF the 10Th OF January or does he deliber-
ately ignore them? They spoke Of the
conditions Of general peace, not of
national ACKNOWLEDGMENT or of arrange
ments between state and state. The peace
Of the world depends upon the Just set
Element Of each Of the several problems
to which adverted in my recent address
to the Congress. l. of course, do not
mean that the peace Of the world depends
upon the acceptance Of any particular
set Of suggestions as to the way in which
those problems are to be dealt with.
mean only that those problems each and
all effect the whole world, that unless
they are dealt with in a spirit of unset
fish and unbiased Justice, with a view to
the wishes. the natural connections the
racial aspirations, the security. and peace
OF mind OF the peoples involved, no per-
manent peace will have been attained
They cannot be discussed separately or
In corners. None Of them constitutes a
private or separate interest from which
the opinion of the world may be shut out.
Whatever affects the peace affects man.
kind and nothing settled by military force,
II settled wrong. is settled at all. 1t
Will presently have to be reopcned.
NO ONE-sIDED PEACE.
Is Count Won Hertling not aware that
he is speaking to the court Of mankind,
| that all the awakened nations Of the
world now sit in Judgment on what every
| public man, Of whatever nation, may say
| OH the issues of a conflict which has
spread to every region Of the world? The
Reichstag resolutions Of July themselves
frankly accepted the decisions Of that
court. There shall be no annexations,
no contributions. no punitive damages.
Peoples are not to be handed about from
one sovereignty to another by an inter-
national conference or an understanding
between rivals and antagonists. National
aspirations must be respected, peoples
| may now be dominated and governed only
by their own consent. "Self-determina-
ton" is not a mere phrase It Is an
| imperative principle of action which
statesmen will henceforth ignore at their
peril. We cannot have general peace for
the asking. or by the mere arrangement
Of a peace conference. 1t cannot be
pieced together out Of individual under
| standings between powerful states. All
the parties to this war must join in the
settlement Of every issue involved In It,
because what we are seeking Is peace
that we can all unite to guarantee and
maintain and every item Of it must be
submitted to the common Judgment
whether It be right and fair, an act
Of justice. rather than q bargain between
sovereigns.
| WARS CAUSES MUST GO.
The United States has no desire to inter-
fere In European affairs or to act as
arbitrator In European territorial dis
putes. She would disdain to take advan-
tage Of any internal weakness or dis
order 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 provisional sketch
of principles and Of the way in which
they should be applied. But she entered
this war because she vas made a part
ner. whether she would or not, in the
sufferings and indignities inflicted by the
military masters Of Germany. against the
peace and security Of mankind and the
conditions of peace will touch her al
nearly as they will touch any other ma
ton to which Is entrusted leading part
In the maintenance of civilization. She
cannot see her way to peace until the
causes of this war are removed. its re-
newal rendered as nearly as may be i'm.
possible.
WHY PRESENT WAR STARTED.
This war had it's roots in the disre.
gard of the rights of small nations and
Of nationalities which lacked the unior
and the force to make good their claim
to determine their own allegiances and
their own forms Of political life. Gov.
enants must now be entered into which
will render such things i'm possible fol
the future; and those covenants must
be backed by the united force of al
the nations that love Justice and are
willing to maintain 1t at any cost. II
territorial settlement and the politica
relations of great populations which
have not the organized power to re.
sist are to he determined by the con.
tracts of the powerful government:
which consider themselves most direct.
" affected, as Count Won HerUing pro.
noses why may not economic questions
also? 1t has come about in the altered
world in which we now find ourselves
that Justice and the rights that affec'
the whole field of international dealing
are such as access to raw material.
and fair and equal conditions of trade
Count Won Hertling wants the essentia
bases of commercial and industrial
life 70 be safe-guarded by common agree
ment and guarantee. but he cannot
exnect that to be conceded him IL thu
other matters to be determined by tn,
articles of peace are not handled in tn,
Z v.na xyay as items In the final account
ing He cannot ask the benefit of com
mon agreement in the one field with
o,it according it in the other. l take 4
Tor granted that he sees that separate
ard selfish compacts as to the trad,
ond the essential materials of manu-
eacture would afford no foundation fol
noace Neither, he may rest assured
,.iII separate and selfish compacts will
rayard to the provinces and peoples.
CzERNIN HAS THE VISION.
Count Czernin seems to see the funda
,,srtal elements Of peace with clear eye
, "a does not seek to obscure them. H
sa.s that an independent Poland. mad
m NJ ali the indisputably Polish peoples
, r. Tia contiguous to one another, is
,,at,er of European concern. and must. o
",'rsa he conceded; that Belgium mus
~ n,,ocuated and restored no matter VIVA
.,eces and concessions that may In
.a,',a. and that national aspirations mus
I sot,sAed, even within his own empire
40 .ha common interest of Europe an
nrind. II he Is silent about question
,,,,ch touch the interest and purpose O