The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-02-11

1 AAAAHA say FeGy vague ana very cum
fusing. 1t is full of equivocaI phrasei
and leads, it is not clear, where. Bui
1t lis certainly in very different tone
from that Of Count Czernin and APP
parently Of an opposite purpose. II
confirms, / am sorry to say, rather
than removes, the unfortunate inn
preston made by what we had learn
ed OF the conferences at Brest-Idtovslc
His discussion and acceptance of our
general principles lead him to no
Il practical conclusions. He refuses to
/ apply them to the substantive items
which must constitute the body Of
any final settlement. He is jealous
I OF international action and OF inter-
national counsel.
Deals In Generalities.
HE accepts, he says. the principle
Of public diplomacy but he appears
| to insist that it be confined, at any
/ rate N this case, to generalities and
that the several particular questions
Of territory and sovereignty, the sew
eral questions upon whose settlement
must depend the acceptance Of peace
| by the twenty-three states now en-
gagged in the war, must be discussed
and settled, not in general council
but severally by the nations most
Immediately concerned by interest or
neig.hborhood.
He agrees that the seas should be
free, but looks askance at any limita-
ton to that freedom by international
action in the interests of common
order. He would without reserve be
glad to see economic barriers re-
moved between nation and nation,
for that could in no way impede the
ambitions of the military party with
whom he seems constrained to keep
- t. ~
lection to a limitation Of ornaments.
That matter will be settled OF itself,
he thinks, by the economic condi-
tions which must follow the war. But
the German colonies, he demands,
must be returned without debate. He
will discuss with no one but the
representatives of Russia what dis
positions shall be made Of the peo-
pies and the lands OF the Baltic
provinces: with no one but the gov
eminent of France the conditions
under which French territory shall
be evacuated; and only with Austria
what shall be done with Poland. In
the determination Of all questions at
fecting the Balkan states he defers
as / understand him, to Austria and
Turkey; and with regard to the
agreements to be entered into con-
corning the non Turkish peoples of
the present Ottoman empire to the
Turkish authorities themselves. Aft |
err a settlement all around, effected |
in this fashion, by individual barter |
and concession, he would have no |
objection, il I correctly interpret his /
statement, to a league Of nations |
which would undertake to hold the
new balance Of power steady against
external disturbances.
No Such Peace Possible.
'It must be evident to everyone
who understands what this war has
wrought in the opinion and temper
OF the world that no general peace,
no peace worth the intimate sacrifices
Of these years of tragical suffering,
can possibly be arrived at in any
such fashion. The method the Ger
man chancellor proposes is the
method OF the congress Of Vienna
We cannot and will not return to
that. What is at stake now Is the
peace Of the world. What we are
striving for is q new international
order based upon broad and universal
principles of right and justice-no
mere peace Of shreds and patches.
Is IL possible that Count Won Hertling
does not see that, does not grasp it,
Ia in fact living in his thought in a
world dead and gone? Has he utter
Iy forgotten the reichstaR resolutions
0f the nineteenth of July, or does he
deliberately ignore them? They spoke
Of the conditions Of a general peace,
not of national ACKNOWLEDGEMENT or Of
between state and
state. The peace Of the world de-
ponds upon the just settlement of
each Of the several problems to
which adverted in my recent adj
iress to the congress. !, of course,
10 not mean that the peace Of the
world depends upon the acceptance
If any particular set OF suggestions
Is to the way in which those prob
ems are to be dealt with. mean
,nly that those problems each and
III affect the whole world, that I'M
ess they are dealt with in a spirit
II unselfish and unbiased justice,
With a view to the wishes, the ma
ural connections. the radical
SEPARATIONS, the security and peace
f mind Of the peoples involved. no
permanent peace will have been at
aimed. They cannot be discussed
eparately or in corners. None Of
hem constitutes a private or separ-
tie interest from which the opinion
( the world may be shut out. What
yer affects the peace affects man
ind, and nothing settled by military
orce, If settled wrong, is settled at
II. 1t will presently have to be re-
pened.
In the Court Of Mankind.
els Count Won Hertling not aware
hat he is speaking in the court Of
mankind, that all the awakened ma
Ions of the world now sit in judg-
lent on what every public man Of
rhatever nation, may say on the is
les Of a conflict which has spread
} every region Of the world? The
resolutions Of July them
elves, frankly accepted the decisions
{ that court. There shall be no an
exations, no contributions, no punt
We damages. Peoples are not
anded about from one sovereignty to
mother by an international confer
nee or an understanding between
walls and antagonists. National
5pirations, must be respected, peo-
es may now be dominated and gov
ned only by their own consent.
elf determination is not a mere
lrase. tbs an imperative principle -
action, which statesmen will
snceforth ignore at their peril. We
.nnot have general peace for the
king, or by the mere arrangements
a peace conference. 1t cannot be
coed together out OF individual
between powerful
ates.
All Must Join.
"All the parties to this war must
in in the settlement Of every issue
lywhere involved in 1t because
hat we are seeking is a peace that
) can all unite to guarantee and
aintain and every item of it must
rt4hu1ftfad IN tha Common iudr- |