The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1918-10-04

come ready anu Wiling TO pay the
price, the only price, that will Pre-
cure ii, and ready and willing also to
create in some virile fashion the only
inStrumentality 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
impartial justice, but also the salts
faction of the several peoples whose
fortunes are dealt with. That indis-
pensable instrumentality is a league
of nations formed under covenants
that will be eficacious.
without such ins~trumentality, 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 VIII
have to redeem her character, not only
by what happens at the peace table
bur what follows.
And, rs l see 1t, the constitution
Of that league of nations and the
clear definition Of its objects must be
a part, is in a sense the most essen
tial part, of the peace settlement IL
self. 1t cannot be formed now. IL
formed now, il would be merely a new
alliance confined TO the nations asso-
ciated against a ommon enemy. IL
is not likely that it could be formed
after that settlement.
1T is necessary to guarantee the
peace, and the peace cannot be guar
anteed as an afterthought. This rea-
son, to speak In plain terms again,
why IL must be guaranteed, is that
there will be parties to the peace
whose promises have proved untrust-
worthy, and means must be ound In
connection with the peace settlement
itself t remove that source of inse-
curity.
"It 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.
lItSt, LltH are SOlnt VI Nv pa
ticulars, and / state them with the
greater confidence because l can state
them authoritatively us 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 10 whom we wish
TO be just and those to whom We DO
not wish TO be just. 1t must be a JUS
tice that PLAYS no favorites and knows
no standard but the equal rights or
the several peoples.
"SECOND-No special or separate
interest of any single nation or any
group of nat. )ns can be made he
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 ana
understandings within the general and
common family of the league of ma
tons.
"FOURTH-And more specifically,
there can be no special, selfish, eco
monte combination 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 q means of discipline
and control.
"FIFTH-All international agree
ments and treaties OF every kind must
be made known in their entirety 10
the rest of the world.
Special alliances and econmlc rlv
alries and hostilities have been the
of the plans and passions that pro-
duce war. 1t would be an i~nsincere
as well as insecure peace that did not
exclude them I'm definite and binding
terms.
National purposes have fallen more
and more into the background and the
common purpose Of enlightened man
kind has taken their place.
"Plain workaday people have de-
manded almost every time they came
together, and are still demanding, that
the leaders of their governments de-
clare to them plainly what 1t is-ex-
actly what 1t is-that they are seek
ing In this war and what they think
the items of the final settlement should
lie.
'"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
arrangements and the divisions Of
power and not in terms Of broad vision,
justice and mercy and peace and the
satisfaction Of those deep-seated long
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.
But I. for one, am glad to attempt
the answer again and again In the
hope that ! may make 1t clearer that