The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-02-11

ton for peace Neither, he may rest
assured, will separate and selfish COM
pacts with regards to provinces and
peoples.
Count Czernin seems to see the
fundamental elements OF peace with
clear eyes and does not seek to OBJ
scure them He sees that an indie
pendent Poland, made up OF all the in
| disputable Polish peoples who lie
contiguous to one another is mat
ter of general concern, and, or
course, must be conceded; that Bel
GUM fnust be evacuated and restored
no matter what sacrifices and conces-
sions that may involve; and that ma
tional aspirations must be sacrificed,
even within his own empire, in the
common interest of Europe and man.
kind. If he is silent about ques-
lions which touch the interest and
purpose Of his allies more nearly than
they touch those of Austria only 1T
must, Of course, be because he feels
constrained I suppose, to refer to Ger
many and Turkey in the circum-
stances. Seeing and conceding as he
does, the essential principles in
volved and the necessity of candidly
applying them, he naturally feels that
Austria can respond to the purpose of
peace as expressed by the United
States with less embarrassment than
could Germany. He would probably
have gone much farther had it not
been for the embarrassmen of Aus
trials alliances and of her dependence
upon Germany.
After all, the test of whether it is
possible for either government to go
any further in this comparison OF
views is simple and obvious. The
principles to be applied are these:
First, that each part of the final
settlement must be based upon the es-
sential justice Of that particular case
and upon such adjustments as are
most likely to bring peace that will
be permanent;
Second. that peoples and provinces
are not to be bartered about from
sovereignty to sovereignty as If they
were chattels and pawns in game,
even the great game now forever dis
credited, of the balance of power;
but that,
Third, every territorial settlement
involved in this war must be made in
the interest and for the benefit of the
populations concerned and not as
part of any mere adjustment or COM
4
states, and
| Fourth, that all well defined nation
al aspirations shall be accorded the
utmost satisfaction that can be ac-
corded the utmost satisfaction that
can be accorded them without intro
ducing new or perpetuating old ele-
ments of discord and antagonism that
would be likely in time to break the
peace of Europe and consequently,
OF the world
A general peace erected upon such
foundations can be discussed. Until
such peace can be secured we have
no choice but to go on. So far as we
can judge, these principles that we re-
gard as fundamental are already
everywhere accepted as imperative
except among the spokesman of the
military and annexationist party in
Germany. If they have anywhere
else been rejected, the directors have
mot been sufficiently numerous or in
fluential to make their voices audible.
THE tragical circumstance is that this
one party in Germany is apparently
willing to send millions Of men to
their death to prevent what all the
world now sees to be just.
would not be a true spokesman of
did not say once more that we entered
this war upon no small occasion and
that we can never turn back from a
course chosen upon principle. Our re-
sources are in part modified in their
entirety. Our armies are rapidly go
ling to the fighting front and will go
more and more rapidly Our whole
strength will be put into this war of
emancipation-eman from the
threat and attempted mastery of sell
fish groups of autocratic rulers what
ever the difficulties and present partial
delay. We are indomnitable in our
powers of independent action and can
in no circumstance consent to live in a.
world governed by intrigue and force.
We believe that our own desire for a
new international order under which
reign Justice and common interests of
mankind shall prevail, is the desire Of
enlightened man everywhere. Without
that order the world would be with
out peace and human life will lack
tolerabIe conditions of existence and
development Having set our hands
to the task of achieving it, we shall
not turn back.
hope that it is not necessary for
me to add that no word of what l have
said is intended as a threat That is
not the temper Of our people. l have
spoken thus only that the whole world
may know the true spirit of America
that men everywhere may know that
our passion for justice and for self
government is no mere passion OF
words, but a passion which once set
in action must be satisfied. The pow
er of the United States is a menace to
no nation or people. 1t will never be
used in aggression or for the aggran-
dizement of any selfish interest of our
own. 1t springs out of freedom and is
for the service of freedom.
Open Air Propaganda.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11.-President
Wilson decided to move today again in
his open air propaganda" tending to
hasten the movement throughout the
world for a just peace.
| 10 tbic roorninop that ha