The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-07-04

f-a-fss-RsRsas Z . 4 .
ent war to be only the fruitage of
what they planted. Our case differs
from theirs only in this, that it is our
inestimable privilege to concert with
men out of every nation what shall
make not only the liberties of Amer
lea secure but the liberties of every
other people as we'll. We are happy
in the thought that we arc permitted
to DO what they would have done had
they been in our place. There must
now be settled once for all what was
settled for America in the great age
upon whose inspiration we draw to-
day. This is surely fitting place
from which calmly to look out upon
oru task, that we may fortify our
spirits for it's accomplishment. And
this is the appropriate place from
which to avow, alike to the friends
who look on and to friends with
whom we have the happiness to be
associated in action, the faith and
purpose with which we act.
This, then, is our conception of the
great struggle in which we are engag-
ed. The plot is written plain upon
every scene and every act of the su-
preme tragedy. On the one hand
stand the people of the world-not
only the peoples actually engaged,
but many others also who suffer un-
der mastery but cannot act, peoples
f many rares an din every part of
the world-the people Of strisken
Russia still, among the rest, though
they are for the moment inorganic
ed and helpless.
! Opposed to them, masters of many
armies, stand as isolated, friendless
group of governments who speak no
hommon purpose but only selfish am
bitions of their own by which none
con profit but themselves, and whose
pc pies are fuel in their hands; gov
ernm rts which fear their people and
yet are for the time their sovereign
lords, asking 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-govern-
ments clothed with the strange trap
pings an dthe primitive authority of
n age that is altogether alien and
heating to our own. The past and
the pre- sent are in deadly grape and
the peoples of the world are being
done to death between them.
There can be but one issue. The
settlement must be final. There can
be no compromise. No half way de-
cis,on would be tolerable. No half
way decision is conceiverable. These
are the ends for which the associated
peoples of the world are fighting and
which must be conceded them before
there can be peace:
The destruction of every arbitrary
pc wer anywhere that can separately,
secretly, and of its single choice
disturb the peace of the world; or, if
it cannot be presently destroyed, at
the least its reduction to virtual i'm
potence.
The settlement of every question,
whether of territory, of sovereignty,
of economic arrangement, or of poll
ti"al relationship, upon the basis of
the free acceptance of that settle
ment by the people Immediately con-
GER ed, and not upon the basis of the
material interests or advantage of
any other nation or people which may
desire a different settlement for the
sake of its own interior influence or
mastery.
The consent of all nations to be
governed in their conduct towards
each ,iiier by the same principles of
honor and of respect for the common
law of civilized society that govern
the 'nt ividual citizens of all modern
states in their relations with one an