The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1918-02-21
PRESIDENT WILSON'S ANSWER.

dress the German and Austro-Hun.-
garian peoples on the subject OF
peace. lie has no intention of al
| lowing the door to be closed by the
German government, and ms ad-
dress to congress yesterday reopens
the case in manner that will cause
no little embarrassment in Berlin.
Both the Hertling and Czernin
speeches are discussed in the spirit
! in which they were made. The pro-
posals Of the German Chancellor are
analysed and dismissed as wholly
reply of the Austro-hungarian Min.
lister to the Presidents address Of
Jan. s is treated Sympathetlcally and
encouragingly.
President Wilson finds no peace IN
the kind of peace that Count Won
| the Infinite Sacrifices of these years
of tragical suffering can be arrived
at in such fashion. "The method the
| German Chancellor proposes is the
method OF the Congress OF Vienna.
! We will not return to that. Or
the other hand Count Czernin seems
! to see the fundamental elements OF
seek to obscure them.
| Whether either government can
continue the comparison OF views de-
ponds upon its acceptance OF four
principles which the President makes
| final test OF good faith. These
are:
First-That each part of the final
settlement must be based upon the
essential justice of that particular
case and upon such adjustments as
are most likely to bring peace that
will be permanent.
! Second-That peoples and prov
inces are not to be bartered about
nj Nv tn
they were mere chattels and pawns
in a game, even the great game, now
| forever discredited, OF the balance of
power; but that
Third-every territorial settlement
involved in this war must be made IN
the interests and for the benefit OF
the populations concerned, and not as
promise of claims among rival
Fourth--That all well-defined ma
tional aspirations shall be accorded
the utmost satisfaction that can be
accorded them without introducing
discord and antagonism that would
be likely in time to break the peace
of Europe and consequently of the
world
These principles the President
rightly holds to be fundamental. "A
general peace erected upon such
foundations can be discussed Until
such a peace can be secured we have
no choice but to go on. Naturally
they must be discussed first of all
by the German Government. The rest
Of the world is prepared to accept
them. Only German autocracy
blocks the way. 1t alone is the OBJ
stacles to a peace which means as
much to the German people as to|
their antagonists.
The Presidents address will com
pei a further statement from the
German Chancellor to the Reichstag,
and definite enumeration OF the
Imperial Governments reasons for
rejecting the enlightened principles
that Mr.. Wilson has laid down. 1t
will strengthen the hand of all the
liberal elements in Germany and
Arstlia-Hungary, and it must newt
ably widen the growing breach be-
peoples of Austria Hungary, who are
growing more and more restless I'M
der the burdens of sustaining the
imperial ambitions OF Pan-German-
ism.
The address as whole is an ex-
preston of the highest statesman
ship that the war has produced, and
whatever the immediate effect may
be, one thing is certain: There can
be no assurance of lasting peace I'M
til the principles that President Will
son has defined are part of the per-
manent code of the nations.-New
York World.