Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1918-01-16

another. Without this healing act the
whole structure and validity of inter-
national law is forever impaired.
Must Free France.
8. All French territory should
| be freed and the invaded portions re-
| stored AMI the wrong done to France
| by Prussia in 1871 in the matter of AL
sace-Lorraine. which has unsettled the
| peace of the world for nearly fifty
years, should be righted in order that
peace may once more be made secure
in the interest of all.
8. A readjustment of all frontiers
of Italy should be effected along clear
| ly recognizable lines of nationality.
| 10. The peoples OF Austria Hungary,
whose place. among the nations we
wish to see safeguarded and assured,
should be accorded the freest opportu-
nifty of autonomous development.
Evacuate Balkans.
| IL. Roumania, Serbia and Monte
negro should be evacuated; occupied
territories restored; Serbia accorded
! free and secure access to the sea; and
| the relations of the several Balkan
states to one another determined by
friendly counsel along historically es-
| tablished lines of allegiance and ma
| tionality; and international guarantees
| of the political and economic indepen-
| dence and territorial integrity of the
several Balkan states should be en-
| tered into.
| II. The Turkish portions of the
present Ottoman Empire should be as
sured as secure sovereignty, but the
| other nationalities which are now I'M
der Turkish rule should be assured an
solutely unmolested opportunity of au-
| tonomous development, and the Darda-
nelles should be permanently opened
as a free passage to the ships and
| commerce of all nations under inter-
national guarantees.
IL. An Independent Polish state
| should be erected which should include
| the territories inhabited by indisput-
able Polish populations, which should
| be assured free and secure access to
| the sea and whose political and eco
nomic independence and territorial In
tegrity should be guaranteed by inter
national covenant.
Ia A general association Of ma
| tons must be formed under specific
covenants for the purpose Of affording
mutual guarantees Of political indepen-
| dence and territorial integrity to great
and small states alike.
"In regard to these essential rectifi-
cations of wrong and assertions OF
right we feel ourselves to be intimate
partners of all the governments and
peoples associated together against the
| imperialists. We cannot be separated
| in interest or divided In purpose. We
stand together until the end.
| For such arrangements and COW
enants we are willing to fight and to
ed but only because we wish the right
to prevail and desire just and stable
peace such as can be secured only by
removing the chief provocations to
war, which this program does remove.
Not Jealous of Germany.
! eve have no jealousy of German
greatness and there is nothing in this
program that impairs it. We grudge
her no achievement or distinction of
learning or of pacific enterprise such
as have made her record very bright
and very enviable.
1--WE do not wish to injure her or
to block in any way her legitimate in
fuence 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.
eve wish her only to accept place
of equality among the peoples of the
world-the new world in which we
now live-instead of a place. of mas
terry.
Neither do we presume to suggest
TO her any alteration or modification OF
her institutions. But it is necessary,
we must frankly say, and necessary as
a preliminary to any intelligent deal
ings with her on our part, that we
should know whom her spokesman
sneak for when they speak to us.
whether for the reichstag majority or
for the military party, and the men
whose creed is imperial dominion.
Fight for Honor.
"We have spoken now, surely, In
terms too concrete to admit of any fur
ther doubt or question. An evident
| ,,,pC throuuh tho whole DrO-
gram [ have outlined.
"It is the principle of justice to all
peoples aid nationalities, and their
right to live on equal terms OF liberty
and safety with one another, whetner
they be strong or weak. Unless this
principle be made its foundauon no
part of the structure of international
Justice can stand. The people OF the
United States could act upon no otner
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