Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1918-02-15
WILSON OFFERS OLIVE BRANCH
TO AUSTRIA IN PEACE REPLY

VIC WIN Unit uo EtucfaA peace. no
peace worth the infinite sacrifices of
these years of tragieal suffering. can
possibly be arrived at in any such
fashion. The method the German
chancellor proposes is the method Of
the congress of Vienna. We cannot
and will not return to that. What is
at stake now Is the peace of the world.
Strive for New Order.
What we are striving for Is new
international order, based on broad
and universal principles of right and
justice-no mere peace OF shreds and
patches. 1t is possible that Count Won
Hertling does not see that, does not
grasp IL, is in fact living IN his thought
in world dead and gone? Has he ut
terly forgotten the relchstag resolu-
lions Of the 10Th OF July or does he
deliberately ignore them3 They spoke
of the conditions of a general peace.
not of national ACKNOWLEDGMENT or of
arrangements between. state and state.
The peace of the world depends upon
the just settlement of each of the sew
eral problems to which / adverted In
my recent address to the congress. 1,
of course, do not mean that the peace
of the world depends upon the accept
ance of any particular set OF sugges-
tons as to the way In which those
problems are 10 be dealt with. mean
only that those problems each and all
affect the whole world; that unless
they are dealt with In spirit Of un-
selfish and unbiased Justice, with i
view to the wishes, the natural connec-
tons. the racial aspirations, the Sc
curly and the peace of mind of the
people involved, no permanent peace
will have been attained.
Must Respect Nations.
They cannot be discussed sepa-
rately or In corners. None OF them
constitutes private or separate In
terest from which the opinion of the
world may be shut out. Whatever ar
fects the peace affects mankind, and
nothing settled by military force, If
settled wrong, Is settled at all 1t will
presently have to be reopened.
rs Count Won Hertling not aware
that he Is speaking in the court of
mankind that all the awakened ma
tions of the world now sit In Judgment
on what every public man, of what
ever nation, may say ON the issues of
conflict which has spread to every
region Of the world7
'The reicnstag resolutions of July
themselves frankly accepted the deci-
sions of that court. There shall be no
annexations, no contributions, no punt
tive damages. Peoples are not to be
handed about from one sovereignty to
another by an international conference
or an understanding between rivals
and antagonists. National aspirations
must be respected; peoples may now
be dominated and be governed only by
their own consent. Self-determinatIon'
is not a mere phrase. 1t Is an impera-
tive principle of action, which states
men will henceforth ignore at their
peril. We cannot have general peace
for the asking, or by the mere ar
engagements of peace conference. 1t
cannot be pieced together out of In
dividual understandings between pow
erful states. All the parties to this
war must join in the settlement In 1t !:
because what we are seeking is peace
that we can all unite to guarantee and
maintain, an every item of 1t must be
submitted to the common judgment
whether 1t be right and fair, an act of
justice, rather than a bargain between
sOvereigns.
Nc Interference Meant.
1.-THE United States has no desire to
interfere In European affairs or to act
as arbiter i'm European territorial dis
putes. She would disdain TO take adj
vantage of any internal weakness or
disorder to impose her own viii upon
another people. She is quite ready TO
be shown that the settlements she has
suggested are not the best or the most
enduring. They are only her own pro
visional sketch of principles and of the
way In which they should be applied.
But she entered this war because she
was made a partner, whether she
would or not, in the sufferings and
indignities inflicted by the military
masters of Germany against the peace
and security Of mankind, and the con-
ditions of peace will touch her as
nearly as they will touch any other ma
ton to which is intrusted a leading
part in the maintenance of civilization.
She cannot see her way 10 peace until
the causes Of this war are removed,
its renewal rendered as nearly as may
be impossible.
This war had its roots in the dis
regard of the rights of small nations
and of natiOnalities which lacked the
union and the force to make good their
claim to determine their own allegi-
ances and their own forms of political
life. Covenants must now be entered
into which will render such things i'm
possible for the future: and those
covenants must be backed by the
united force of all the nations that
love justice and are willing to main
tain 1t at any cost.
IF territorial settlements and the
political relations OF great populations,
which have not the organized power to
resist, are to be determined By the
contracts of the powerful governments
which consider themselves most direct
ly affected, as Cent Won HertIing pro-
poses, why may not economic ques-
lions also7 1t has come about in the
altered world in which we nOw find
ourselves that justice and the rights Of
peoples affect the whole field OF inter
national dealing as much as access 70
raw materials and fair and equal con-
ditions of trade Count Won Herfline
wants the essential bases Of CONNER