The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1918-01-17

nifty OF autonomous deTeiopment.
"XI. Rumania, Serbia and Montene-
gro should be evacuated; occupied ter
ritories restored; Serbia accorded free
and secure. access to the sea; and the
relations of the several Balkan States
to one another determined by friendly
counse! among historically established
lines of allegiance s.nd nationality;
and international guarantees of the
political and economic independence
and territorial integrity OF the several
Balkan States should be entered into.
XII. The Turkish portions of the
present Ottoman empire should be
assured a secure sovereignty, but the
other nationalities which are now
under Turkish rule should be as.
sured an undoubted security of life
and an absolutely unmolested oppoI
tunity of autonomous development, and
the Dardanelles should be permanent.
ly opened as a free passage to the
ships and commerce of all nations un.
der international guarantees.
XIII. An independent Polish State
should be erected, which should in
clude the territories Inhabited by II.
disputably Polish populations, which
should be assured a free and secure
access to the sea, and whose political
and economic independence and ter
ritorial integrity should be guaran.
teed by international covenant.
XIV. A general association of na
tions must be formed under specific
covenants for the purpose OF afford.
ing mutual guarantee of political in
dependence and territorial integrity t.
great and small states alike.
''In regard to these essential recti.
fications of wrong and assertions .:
right we feel ourselves to be intimate
partners of all the governments and
peoples associated together agains.
the imperialists. We can not be sep,~
rated in interest or divided in purpose
We stand together until the end.
For such arrangements and coye.
nants we are willing to fight and to
continue to fight until they ara
achieved; but only because we wish
the right to prevail and desire just
and stable peace, such as can be Sc.
cured only by removing the chief
provocations to war, which th's pro
gram does remove. We have TO jeal-
ousy of German greatness, and there
is nothing in this program that i'm
pairs it. We grudge her no achieve
ment or distinction of learning or Of
pacific enterprise such as have made
her record very bright and very envia-
BILE. We do not wish to injure her or
to block in any way her legitimate in
fluence or power. We do not wish to
fight her either with arms or with hos
tile arrangements of trade, if she is
willing to associate herself with us
and the other peace loving nations of
the world in covenants of justice and
law and fair dealing. We wish her
only to accept a place of equality
among the peoples of the world-the
new world in which we now liye-in'
stead of a place Of mastery.
Neither do we presume to suggest
to her any alteration OF modification
of her institutions. But 1t is neces-
sary, we must frankly say, and neCes-
sary as a preliminary to any intelli'
gent dealings with her on our part,
that we should know whom her
spokesmen speak for when they speak
to us, whether for the Reichstag ma
jority or for the military party, and
the men whose creed Is imperial domi.
nation.
"We have spoken now, surely, in
terms too concrete to admit of any
further doubt or question. An evi'
dent principle runs through the whole
program I have outlined. 1t is the
principle Of justice to all peoples and
nationalities and their right to live
on equal terms of liberty and safety
with one another. whether they. be
strong or weak Unless this principle
be made its foundation no part Of the
structure Of international justice can
stand.
"The people of the United States
could act upon no other principle, and
to tho vindication of this principk
they are ready to devote their lives
their honor. and everything that they
possess. The moral climax of this,
the eliminating and final war for hui
man liberty has come, and they are
ready to put their own strength, their
own highest purpose, their own integ
ritV and devotion tO the test