Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-02-15

selfish and unbiased justice. with Il
view To the wishes, the natural con-
pections. the racial aspirations. the
security. and the peace OF mind oi
the peoples involved. no permanent
peace will have been attained. They
cannot bc discussed separately and
In corners. None OF them constitutes
private or separate interest. from
which the opinion OF the world may be
shut out. Whatever affects the peace
by military force, If settled wrong. is
settled at all. II will presently have
to he re-opened.
Nations Sit in Judgment.
Is Count Won Hertllng not aware
that he is speaking in the court OF
mankind. that all the awakened ma
tons OF the world now sit in judg
men; On what every public man Of
whatever nationS may say on the is
sues of a. conflict which has spread
TO every region Of the world: The
reichstag resolutions of July them
selves frankly accepted the decisions
OF that court. There shall be no an
nexations. no contributions, no puni-
tive damages. Peoples are not tu be
handed about from one sovereignty
to another by an international con-
ference or an understanding between
rivals and antagonists. National as
pirations must he respected: peoples
may now be dominated and govern
ell only by their own consent. self
determination" is not a mere phrase.
IL Is an imperative principle of action.
which statesmen Will hcnceforth il.
| general peace for the asking, or by
| the mere arrangements of peace
conference. 1t cannot be pieced to-
gether out of individual understand
ings between powerful states. All
the parties 10 this war must join in
the settlement of every issue any
where involved in il: because what
We are seeking is a peace that we can
all unite to guarantee and maintain
and every item Of il must be submit
ted to the common judgment whether
it he right and fair, an act of justice,
rather than Il bargain between SOW
ereigns.
| The United States has no desire to
interfere in European affairs or to
act as arbiter in European territorial
disputes. She would disdain to take
advantage Of any internal weakness
or disorder TO impose her own will
upon another people. She is quite
ready to be shown that the settle
ments 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 en-
| tered this war because she was made
partner, whether she would or not,
in the suiferings and indignities in.
iiicted by the military masters uf Ger
many, against the peace and security
| Of mankind: and the conditions of
pee will touch her as nearly as
UH~%nf t0ucM my vtnef 'natioT 70
Which is entrusted q leading part in
the maintenance Of civilization. She
cannot see her way to peace until the
causes Of this war are removed, its re-
impossible.
Whence War Sprang.
This war had It's roots in the dis
regard of the rights of small nations
and Of nationali,ies which lacked the
union and the force to make good
their claim to determine their own
allegiance and their own forms of po-
| litical life. Governments must now he
entered into which will render such
things impossible for the future: and
those covenants must be backed by
the united force of all the nations
that love justice and are willing to
| maintain ii at any cost. IL territorial
settlements and the political relations
Of great populations which have not
lie determined by the contracts of the
powerful governments which consider
themselves most directly affected, as
Count Won Hcrtlng proposes. why
may not economic questions also2 1t
has come about in the altered world
in which we now find ourselves that
justice and the rights of peoples af-
feet the whole field OF international
/
materials and fair and equal condi-
tions of trade.
| Count Won Hertling wants the cs-
scntial bases of commercial and in
dustrial life to be safcguarded by
common agreement and guarantee,
but he cannot expect that to be con-
ceded him II the other matters to be
determined by the articles OF peace
are not handled in the same way rs
items in the final accounting. He
cannot ask the benefit of common
agreement in the one field without ac-
cordng 1t in the other. / take 1t for
granted that lie sees that separate and
selfish compacts with regard to trade
and the essential materials of manu-
facture would afford no foundation
for peace. Neither, he may rest as
sured. will separate and selfish COM
pacts with regard to provinces and
peoples.
Czernin Seems to See.
Count Czernin seems to see the fun
damcntal elements Of peace with clear
eyes and does not seek to obscure
them. He sees that an independent
Poland. made up Of all the indisputa-
bly, Polish people who lie contiguous
10 one another il a matter OF Euro
pean concern and must Of course be
conceded: that Belgium must be evac-
uated and restored, no matter what
sacrifices and concessions that may
involve: and that national aspirations
must be satisfied. even within his
own empire, in the common interest
OF Europe and mankind. II he Is
silent about questions which touch the
! ;ntoraSt opd n,Irpose of his allies