River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-02-21

to be determined by the articles OF
peace are not handled in the same
way as items in the final accounting.
He cannot ask the benefit of common
agreement in the one field without
according it in the other.
ST take it for granted that he sees
that separate peace and selfish COM
pacts with regard to trade and the
essential 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.
Czernin Sees Clearly.
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
indisputab1e Polish peoples who lie
contiguous to one another, is a matter
of general concern, and, Of course,
must be conceded; that Belgium must
be evacuated and restored no matter
what sacrifices and concessions that
may involve, and that national aspi-
rations must be satisfied, even with
in his own empire, in the common IN
terest of Europe and mankind.
II he Is S1lSnL t1UOuC QuOOI4OA0
which touch the interest and purpose
Of his allies more nearly than they
touch those of Austria only it must
of course be because he feels con-
strained, | suppose, to defer to Ger
many and Turkey in the circum-
stances. Seeing and conceding, as he
does, the essential principles in
volved and the necessity of candidly
IL y af1Ir W. 10
Austria can respond to the purpose of
peace as expressed by the United
States with less embarrassment than
could Germany. He would probably
have gone much farther had it not
been for the embarrassments Of Aus
trials alliances and of her depen-
dency 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. 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 peace that
will be permanent.
o0COuuS LudC pSOP1OO Oh0 PAO'AhON0
are not to be bartered about from
sovereignty to sovereignty as if they
were mere chattels and pawns in
game, even the great game, now for
ever discredited, of balance of pow
er; but that,
Third, every territorial settlement
involved in this war must be made
-SPECIAI-THREE Fl A
sx1+o for tho hnnnf1f
of the populations concerned, and
not as a part of any mere adjust
ment or compromise of claims
amongst rival states, and,
Fourth, that all well-de1ned ma
tional aspirations shall be accorded
the utmost satisfaction that can be
accorded them without introducing
new or perpetuating old elements or
discord and antagonism that would
be likely in time to break the peace
of Europe and consequently of the
world.
Foundation for Peace.
"a general peace erected upon
such foundations can be discussed.
Until such a 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 annexationist
party in Germany. If they have any
where else been rejected, the objec-
tors have not been sufficiently numer-
GUS 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 pre-
vent what all the world now sees to
be just.
War of Emancipation.
ct would not be true spokesman
of the people of the United States II
I did not say once more that we en-
tered their 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 in their entirety.
| Our armies are rapidly going to the
| fighting front and will go more and
more rapidly. Our whole strength
will be put into this war Of emanclpa-
| tion-emancipation from the threat
and attempted mastery of selfish
groups of autocratic rulers-what-
ever the difficulties and present par
| tial delays.
1--WE are indomitable in our power
of Independent action, and in no cir
cumstances consent to live in a world
| governed by intrigue and force. We
believe that our own desire for
| new international order under which
reason and justice and the common
| interests of mankind shall prevail is
| the desire of enlightened men every
| where. Without that new order the
| world will be without peace and hui
| man life will lack tolerable conditions
of existence and development. Hav-
ing set our hand to the task OF
achieving it. we shall not turn back.
'T hope that it is not necessary
for me to add that no word of what
I have said is intended as threat.
That is not the temper of our people.
I have spoken thus only that the
whole world may know the true spirit