Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1918-01-17
AMERICAS WAR
AIMS OUTLINED
President Wilson Makes unex-
pected Address to Con-
gress on Subject.
APPROVES THE BRITISH STAND
Program of Fourteen Articles Pre-
scented to Which Germany Must
Agree Before Peace Is Restored.

agree 6efore Peace Is Restored.
With a statement of war aims, ap-
proving the recent declaration of the
British premier. Lloyd George, Presi-
dent Wilson recently presented to Con-
gress and the world a specific decla-
ration of Americas war aims and the
terms on which it would be possible
to make peace with Germany.
An Answer to Germany.
The President spoke as follows:
Gentlemen of the Congress: Once
more, as repeatedly before, the spokes-
men of the Central Empires have in
d1cated their desire to discuss the OBJ
5ects of the war and the possible basis
of a general peace.
"Parleys have been in progress at
BrestLitovsk between Russian repre-
sentativeS and representatives of the
Central Powers, to which the atten-
ton of all the belligerents has been
invited, for the purpose of ascertain
ing whether it may be possible to
extend these parleys into a general
conference with regard to terms of
peace and settlement
The Russian representatives pre-
sented not only a perfectly definite
statement of the principles upon which
they would be willing to conclude
gram OF the concrete application of
those principles.
1.-THE representatives of the Central
Powers, on their part, presented an
outline of settlement which, if much
less definite, seemed susceptible of
liberal Interpretation under their spe-
cific program of practical terms was
added
Germans Offered Nothing.
''The German program proposed no
concessions at all, either to sover-
eighty of Russia or to the preferences
of the population with whose fortunes
it dealt, but meant, in word, that
the Central Empires were to keep
every foot of territory their armed
forces had occupied province,
every city, every point of vantage
as a permanent addition to their ter
ritories and their power.
1T is a reasonable conjecture that
the general principles of settlement
which they at first suggested, origi-
mated with the more liberal states
men of Germany and Austria, the men
who have begun to feel the force of
their own peoples thought and pur-
pose, while the concrete terms of ac-
tual settlement came from the mill
tary leaders who have no thought but
to keep what they have got. The ne
gotiations have been broken off. The
Russian representatives were sincere
and in earnest. They cannot enter
tain such proposals of conquest and
German People Have No Voice.
"The whole incident is full of signi-
ficance. 1t is also full of perplexity.
with whom are the Russian repre-
sentatives dealing?
For whom are the representatives
of the Central Empire speaking?
Are they speaking for the major
tiles of their respective parliaments
or for the minority parties, that mill
tary and imperialiStic minority which
has so far dominated their whole pol
icy and controlled the affairs of Tur-
key and of the Balkan. states which
have felt obliged to become their as
sociates in this war?
1.-THE Russian representatives have
very justly, very wisely, and
in the true spirit of democracy, that
the conferences they have been hold
ing with the Teutonic and Turkish
statesmen should be held within open,
not closed, doors, and all the world
has been audience to both unrecon-
ciled and in open and hopeless con-
These are very serious
and pregnant questions. upon the an
swer to them depends the peace of
the world.
Challenge Answered With Candor.
But whatever the result of the par
leys. at Brest-Litovsk, whatever the
of counsel and of purpose
In the utterances of the spokesman of
the Central Empires, they have again
to acquaint the world with
their objects in the war and have
again challenged their adversaries to
say what their objects are and what
sort of settlement they would deem
just and satisfactory.
There is no good reason why that
challenge should not be responded to
and responded to with the utmost
candor. We did not wait for it Not
once, but again and again, we have
laid our whole thought and purpose be-
fore the world, not in general terms
only, but each time with sufficient
definition to make it clear what sort
of definitive terms of settlement must
necessarily spring out of them.
Germany Fears to BE Frank.
within the last week Mr.. Lloyd
George has spoken with admirable
candor and in admirable spirit for the
people and government of Great Bri-
tain There is no confusion of coun-
sci among the adversaries of the Cen
trail Powers, no uncertainty of prin-
ciple, no vagueness of detail. The only
secrecy of counsel, the only lack of
fearless frankness, the only failure to
make definite statement of the OBJ