Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-02-12
u. S. WILL TALK ONLY LASTING
PEACE, PRESIDENT DECLARES

with regard to trade and the essen
tial materials of manufacture would
afford no foundation for peace.
Neither, he may rest assured, will
separate and selfish compacts with
regard to provinces and peoples.
Commcnds Czernins Attitude
Count Czernin seems to see the
fundamental elements of peace with
clear eyes and does not seek to OBJ
scure them. He sees that an indie
pendent Poland, made up of all the
indisputably Polish peoples who lie
contiguous to one another, is mat
ter of European concern and must
of course be conceded; that Belgium
must be evacuated and restored, no
matter what sacrifices and conces-
sions that may involve; and that ma
tional aspirations must be satisfied
even within his own empire, in the
common interest of Europe and man.
kind.
IF he is silent about questions
which touch the interest and pur-
pose of his allies more nearly than
they touch those of Austria only, it
must of course be because he feels
constrained, 1 suppose, to defer to
Germany and Turkey in the circum-
stances. Seeing and conceding. as
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volved and the necessity of candidly
applying them, he naturally feels
that Austria can respond to the pur-
pose of peace as expressed by the
United States with less embarrass-
ment than could Germany.
He would probably have gone
much farther had it not been for the
embarrassments of Austria's alli-
ances and of her dependence upon
Germany.
After all, the test of whether it
is possible for either government to
go any further in this comparison Of
views is simple and obvious.
Principles to Be Applied
"The principles to be applied are
these:
First, that each part of the final
settlement must be based upon the
essential justice of that particular
case and upon such adjustments as
are most likely to bring a peace that
will be permanent;
Second, that peoples and prov
inces are not to be bartered about
from sovereignty to sovereignty as If
they were mere chattels and pawns
in a game, even the great game, now
forever discredited. of the balance
of power; but that
Third, every territorial settle
ment involved in this war must be
made in the interest and for the ben
eft of the populations concerned,
and not as a part of any mere ad-
justment or compromise of claims
amongst rival states; and
Fourth, that all well-defined ma
tional aspirations shall be accorded
the utmost satisfaction that can be
1A1 fN,fe s1taH I'M
new or perpetuating old elements of
discord and antagonism that would
be likely in time to break the peace
of Europe and consequently of the
world.
"A general peace erected upon
such foundations can be discussed.
Until such q peace can be secured
we have no choice but to go on. So
far as we can judge these principles
that we regard as fundamental are
already everywhere accepted as i'm
perative except among the spokes-
men of the military and annexation
list party in Germany. If they have
anywhere else been rejected. the OBJ
jectors have not been sufficiently
numerous or influential to make
their voices audible. The tragical
circumstance is that this one party
in Germany is apparently willing and
able to send millions of men to their
death to prevent what all the world
now sees to be just.
In For Finish Fight
"I would not be a true spokesman
of the people of the United States il
did not say once more that we en-
tered this war upon no small occa-
sion and that we can never turn
| back from a course chosen upon
principle. Our resources are in part
modified now and we shall not
pause until they are modified ir
their entirety. Our armies are rap.
| idly going to the fighting front, an6
will go more and more rapidly. Oul
whole strength will be put into thi,
war arofemancipation-emancipatior of
from the threat and attempted mas.
terry of selfish groups of autocratiC
rulers-whatever the difficulties anC
present partial delays.
I'VE are indomitable in our power
of independent action and can in ne
circumstances consent to live in &
world governed by intrigue ant
force. We believe that our own de-
sire for a new international order
under which reason and justice ant
the common interests of mankind
! shall DIcNdli Ia lllC uCSAlC vi CllllS IL Z
ened men everywhere. Without tha
new order the world will be withou
peace and humanlife will lack toler.
able conditions of existence and de
velopment Having set out hand Il
the task of achieving it we shall no
turn back.
81 hope that it is not necessary FOL
me to add that no word of what
have said is intended as a threat
That is not the temper of our peo
pie. l have spoken thus only tina
the whole world may know the true
spirit of America-that men every
where may know that our passion
for justice and for f-governmen
is no mere passion of words. but {
passion which once set in action
must be satisfied.
"The power of the United States
is a menace to no nation or people
1t will never be used in aggression
or for the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of an!
selfish interest of our own. 1t springs
out of freedom and is for the serv
ice of freedom"