The Carlisle independent., 1918-01-17
Presidents Address.

AliC PlCSlQeAI pJhE dS 4bltONSs
 Gentlemen of the Congress. Once more as repeatedly before. the spokes- men of the Central empires have indi- cated their desire to discuss the ob- jects of the war and the possible bas- is of general peace. Parleys have been in progress at Brest-Litovsk be- tween Russian representatives and representative of the Central powers to which the attention of all the bel 1igerents has been invited for the pur. pose of ascertaining whether it may be possible to extend these parleys into a general conference with regard to terms of peace and settlement The Russian representatives presented nor only a perfectly definite statement Of the principles upon which they would be willing to conclude peace, but also an equally definite program of the con- crete application of those principles. The representatives of the Central powers on their part presented au out line of settlement which. if much less definite, seemed susceptible of liberal interpretation until their specific pro- gram of political terms was added That program proposed no concessions at all either to sovereingty of Russia or to the preferences of the population with whose fortunes 1t dealt, but meant, in word that the Central empires were to keep every foot Of territory their armed forces had oc- cupied-every province, every city, every point of yantage-as a perma- nent addition to their territories and their power.
 It is a reasonable conjecture that the general principles of settlement which they at first suggested originat- cd with the more liberal statesmen of Germany and Austria, the men who nave begun to feel the force Of their own peoples thought and purpose, while the concrete terms of actual set tlement came from the military lead CTS who have no thought but to keep what they have got. The negotiations have been broken off. The Russian representatives were sincere and in earnest. They cannot entertain such proposals of conquest and domina- tion.
 Incident of Significance.
 The whole incident is full of signif- canoe. It is also full of perplexities. With whom are the Russian repesen- tatives dealing? For whom are the representatives of the Central empires speaking? Are they speaking for the majorities of their respective parIia- ments or for the minority parties, that military and imperialistic minority which has so far dominated their whole policy and controlled the aR fairs of Turkey and of the Balkan states which have felt obliged to be- come their associates in this war? The Russian representatives have in sisted, very justly. very wisely and in the true spirit of democracy that the conference they have been holding with the Teutonic and Turkish states men should be held within open, not closed doors, and all the world has been audience as was desired To HllOAu nave We DCGH lIoLSiAtii5 A4i04A. l U those who speak the spirit and inten- tion of the resolutions of the Ger man reichstag of the ninth of July, last, the spirit of intention of the lio- eral leaders and parties of Germany, or to those who resist and defy that spirit and intention of insisting upon conquest and subjugation? Or are we