The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-02-11

mooo Oy IIeSiuSut WllSOu on Jdnudl g, before the members of congress on the terms by which peace would be considered between Germany and her aines. This is of worldwide interest as the points at issue, if carried out in tuii, have bearing on the future dvluocracJ Of the world.
 The Presidents address follows:
 "Gentl.mcn or the Congress:
 "Once more, as repeatedly before, the sponc.Ai.n ui the ccuLlaI elnpii es have indicated their desire to discuss the UUJects oI the war and the pOs- slbie Dases or general peace. Parleys have Deen Ill progress at BreSt.Lit. oVsk between the flussian representa- uves and representatives of the cen. tral powers to winch the attention of all the DeiigeitnLa Has Dcen Ill lleu for the purlose of ascertaining whether IL lnaJ De possible to eALUnu these parleys into a general confer. ence with regaid to telms of peace and settlement. The Russian repre- sentauves presented not only a perfectly definite statement of the prlncipies upon which they would be wlinng to conclude peace, but also an equally dehnlte program of the concrete application of those princi- pies. The representatives of the cen tral powers, on their part, presented an outline ot settIem.nt, winch, Il much less definite, seemed suscepti. ble of liberal interpretation until their speclnc program or pracucaI terms was added.
 German Program.
 That program proposes no conces- sions at all either as to the sover- eighty of Russia or as to the preI- erences of the population with whose fortunes it dealt, but meant, in = word, that the central empires were to keep every foot of territory their armed ofrces had occupied-every province, every city, every point of vantage as a pc. manent addition to It is a reasonable conjecture that the general principles of settlement which they at first suggested, originated with the more liberal statesmen Of Germany and Austria, the men who have begun to feel the force or thel. own peoples thought and purpose, while the concrete terms of actual settlement came from the military leaders who have no thought but to keep what they have got. The nego- tiations have been broken off. The Russian representatives were sincere and in earnest. They cannot enter tain such proposals of conquest and domination.
 Full of Significance.
 "The whole incident is full of sig nificance. It is also full of perplexi- ty. With whom are the Russian rep resentatives dealing? For whom are the representatives of the central powers speaking? Are they speaking for the majorities of their respective parliaments, or for the minority par ties, that military and imperialistic minority which has so far dominated their whole policy and controlled the affairs of Turkey and of the Balkan states which have felt obliged to be- come their associates in this war? The Russian representatives have in isted, very justly, very wisely and in the true spirit of democracy, that the conferences they have been holding with the Teutonic and Turkish statesmen should be held within open, not closed doors, and all the world has been audience, as was desired.
 Who Are the Speakers?
 ITO whom have we been listening, then? To those who speak the spirit and intention of the resolutions of the German reichstag of the 9th of. July last, the spirit and intention of the liberal leaders and parties of Ger many, or to those who resist, and definitely, that spirit and intention and insist upon conquest and subju- gation? Or are we listening, in fact, to both, unreconciled and in open and hopeless contradiction, These are very serious and pregnant questions. Upon the answer to them depends the peace of the world.
 But whatever the results of the parleys at Brest-Litovsk. whatever the confusions Of counsel ana or pur- pose in the utterances of the spokes- men of the central empires, they have again attempted to acquaint the world with their objects in the war and have again challenged their adver- saries to say what their objects are and what sort of settlement they would deem just and satisfactory.
 Response to Challenge.
 There is no good reason why that challenge should not be responded to. and responded to with the utmost candor. We did not wait for it. Not once, but again and again, we have Q vhol tb4,,