The patriot. (Glenmora, La.) 1918-1955, 1918-10-04
Foe Must Pay Price.

|
| it TO be, to achieve by the coming set
Elements u secure and lasting peace it
| will be necessary that all who sir down
at the peace table shall come ready
| and willing to pay the price. the only
| price that will procure it; and ready
and willing also to create in some
yirile fashion the only fundamentally
| by which it can be made certain that
the agreements of the peace will be
| hOnOred and fulfilled.
| THAT price is impartial justice in
| every item of settlement, no matter
whose interest is crossed; not only i'm
| partial justice, but also the satisfac-
| ton of the several peoples whose for
| tunes are dealt with. That indispen-
sable instrumentality is league of
nations formed under covenants that
will be efiicacious.
without such instrumentality, by
which the peace of the world can be
guaranteed. peace will rest in part
upon the word of outlaws and only
upon that word. For Germany will
have to redeem her character, not only
by what happens at the peace table
but what follows.
And, as | see it, the constitution of
that league Of nations and the clear
definition of its objects must be part.
is in sense the most essential part,
of the peace settlement itself. 1t can
not be formed now. If formed now, it
would be merely a new alliance con-
fined to the nations associated against
a common enemy. 1t is not likely that
it could be formed after that settle
ment.
sit is necessary to guarantee the
peace. and the peace cannot be guar.
anteed as an afterthought. The rea-
son, to speak in plain terms again,
why it must be guaranteed. is that
there will be parties to the peace
whose promises have proved untrust-
worthy, and means must be found in
connection with the peace settlement
itself to remove that source of inse-
curity.
1T would be folly to leave the guar
antee to the subsequent voluntary ac-
ton of the government we have seen
destroy Russia and deceive Roumania.
Particulars of Terms.
"These, then, are some Of the par
ticulars, and l state them with the
greater confidence because / can state
them authoritatively as representing
this governments Interpretation Of its
own duty with regard to peace:
"FIRST-The impartial justice
meted out must involve no discrimina-
ton between those to whom we wish to
be just and those to whom we do not
wish TO be Just. 1t must be justice
that plays no favorites and knows no
standard but the equal rights OF the
several peoples.
''SECOND-No special or separate
interest of any single nation or any
group of nations can be made the
basis Of any part of the settlement
which is not consistent with the COM
mon interest of all.
"THIRD-There can be no leagues
or alliances or special covenants and
understandings within the general and
common family of the league of ma
tions.
"FOURTH-And more specifically.
there can be no special. selfish, econo-
mic combinations within the league
and no employment of any force OF
economic boycott for exclusion except
as the power of economic penalty by
exclusion from the markets of the
world may be vested in the league OF
nations itself as means of discipline
and control.
"FIFTH1Alr international agree
msnts and treaties of every kind must
be made known in their entirety to
the rest of the world.
Special alliances and economic
rivalries and hostilities have been
the prolific sources in the modern
world Of the plans and passions that
produce war. 1t would be an insin-
cere as well as insecure peace that
did not. exclude them in definite and
binding terms.
''Plain workaday people have demand
gu diIuOSt every tlAiC tAlCS ~AAAS ~
gether, and are still demanding, that
the leaders of their governments de-
clare to them plainly what it is--ex-
actly what it is-that they were seek
ing in this war and what they think
the items of the final settlement
should be.
'They are not yet satisfied with
what they have been told. They still
seem to fear that they are getting what
they ask for only in statesmen's terms
only in the terms of territorial ar
rangements and the divisions of pow
er and not in terms of broad vision,
justice and mercy and peace andt the
satisfaction of those deep-seated bng-
ings of oppressed and distracted men
and women and enslaved peoples that
seem to them the only things worth
fighting a war for that engulfs the
world.
Believes Allies Aims Same.
Germany is constantly intimating
the terms she will accept: and al
ways finds that the world does not
want terms. 1t wishes the final tri-
umph of justice and fair dealing"