The Washington herald., 1918-07-05

friendless group of governments
who speak no common purpose
but only selfish ambitions Of
their own by which none can
profit but themselves, and
whose people are fuel in their
hands; governments which fear
their people and yet are for the
time their sovereign lords, maxi
ing every choice for them and
disposing of their lives and for
tunes as they will. as well as of
the lives and fortunes OF every
people who fall under their
power. - governments clothed
with the strange trappings and
the primitive authority Of an
age that is altogether alien and
hostile to our own. The Past
and the Present are in deadly
grapple and the peoples of the
world are being done to death
between them.
No Halfway Decision.
There can be but one Issue.
The settlement must he nnaI.
There can he no compromise.
No halfway decision would be
tolerabIe. No halfway decision
L. conceivable.
These are the ends for which
the associated peoples of the
world are fighting and which
must be conceded them before
there ran be peace.
1. The destruction Of every
arbitrary power anywhere that
can separately. secretly. and Of
its single choice disturb the
peace of the world: or, IL IL
cannot be presently destroyed,
at the least its reduction to
virtual impotence.
z The settlement Of every 4ues-
ton, whether of territory. of SOW
ereignty, OF economic arrange
ment, or of political relationship,
upon the basts Of the free ac,ept-
ance. Of that settlement by the REQ
pie Immediately concerned, and not
upon the basis of the material In
terest or advantage OF any other
nation or people which may desire
a different settlement for the sake
Of its own exterior influence or
mastery.
& The consent Of all nations to be
governed in their conduct towards
each other by the same principle of
honor and of respect for the CON-
mon law of civilized society that
govern the individual citizens Of
all modern states in their relations
with one another; to the end that
all promises and covenants may be
sacredly observed, no private plots
or conspiracies Matched, no selfish
injuries wrought with impunlty,
and a mutual trust established up
on the handsome foundation Of a
mutual respect for right.
4. The establishment OF an or
ganization Of peace which shall
make 1t certain that the combined
power Of free nations will check
every invasion Of right and serve
to make peace and justice the more
secure by affording a definite
tribunal Of opinion to which all
must submit, and by which every
international readjustmeut that
can not be amicably agreed upon
by the peoples directly concerned
shall be sanctioned.
These great objects can be put in
to single sentence. What we seek
Is the reign of law. based upon the
consent of the governed and sus-
tained by the organized opinion Of
mankind.
~The Very STUFF of Triumph
Those great ends cannot be
achieved by debating and seeking
to reconcile and accommodate
what statesmen may wish, with
their projects for balances Of pow
er and Of national opportunity.
They can be realized only by the
termination Of what the thinking
peoples Of the world desire, with
their longing hope for justice and
for social freedom and opportun-
ity.
I can fancy that the air Of this
place carries the accents of such
principles with a peculiar kind
ness. Here were started forces
which the great nation against
which they were primarily direct
ed at first regarded as a revolt
against its rightful authority, but
which It has long since seen to
have been a step in the liberation
OF Its own people as well as of
the people of the United States;
and stand here now to speak
speak proudly and with confident
hope-of the spread Of this revolt,
this liberation, to the great stage
of the world itself! The blinded
rulers of Prussia have reused
forces they know Httle of-forees
which, once reused, can never be
crushed to earth again, for they
have Mt their heart nm inspiration
and q purpose which are DEATH
less and of the very stuff of tri-