Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1918-10-02
IMPARTIAL JUSTICE TO
RULE IN THE FRAMING
OF PEACE TERMS
Opening Liberty Loan Drive in New York, President VIII
Discussed Issues of War and the Kind of Peace
That Must Come Bargaining is Barred by
U.S.-Rghts Most Be Established.


interest of the weakest is as sacred
as the interest of the strongest.
This Is what we mean when we
speak of permanent peace, if we
speak sincerely, intelligently, and
with real knowledge and compre-
hension of the matter we deal with.
eve are all agreed that there can
be no peace by any kind of bargain
or compromise with the governments
of the Central Empires because we
have dealt with them already and
have seen. them deal with other gov
ernments that were parties to this
struggle, at Brest-Litovsk and 'Buch-
Arrest. They have convinced us that
they are without honor and do not
intend justice. They observe no
covenants, accept no principle but
force and their own interest. We
cannot come to terms with them.
They have made 1t impossible. The
German people must by this time be
fully aware that we cannot accept the
word Of those who forced this war
upon us. We do not think the same
thoughts or speak the same language
of agreement.
at is of capital Importance that
we should also be explicitly agreed
that no peace shall be obtained by
any kind of compromise or abate-
ment Of the principles we have avow-
ed as the principles for which we are
lighting. There should exist no
doubt about that. l am, therefore,
going to take the liberty of speak
ing with the utmost frankness about
the practical implications that are
involved in it.
"If it be in deed and in truth the
common object of the governments
associated against Germany and of
the nations whom they govern, as
believe 1t to be, to achieve by the
coming settlements a secure and last
ing peace. it will be necessary that
all who sit down at the peace table
shall come ready and willing to pay
the price. the only price, that will
procure it; and ready and willing,
also, to create in some virile fashion
the only instrumentaIity by which
it can be made certain tnat the agree
ments Of the peace will be honored
and fulfilled.
Impartial Justice in Every Item.
"That price is impartial justice in
every item Of the settlement, no
matter whose interest is crossed, and
not only impartial justice, but also
the satisfaction of the several Deo-
pies whose fortunes are dealt with.
That indispensable instrumentality is
a league of nations, formed under
covenants that will be eficacious.
without such an instrumentality, by
which the peace Of the world can be
guaranteed, peace will rest in part
upon the word of outlaws and only
upon that word. For Germany will
have to redeem her character, not
by what happens at the peace table,
but by what follows.
And. as I see it, the constitution
Of that league of nations and the
clear definition of its objects must
be part, Is In sense the most es-
sential part Of the peace settlement
iself. 1t cannot be formed now. If
formed now 1t would be merely
new alliance confined to the nations
associated against the common en-
emy. 1t is not likely that it could
be formed after the settlement. 1t
Is necessary to guarantee the peace,
and the peace cannot be guaranteed
as an after thought. The reason, to
speak In plain terms again, why it
must be guaranteed, Is that there
will be parties to the peace whose
promises have proved untrustworthy
and means must be found in connec-
tton with the peace settlement itself
to remove that source of insecurity.
1t would be folly to leave the guaran-
tee to the subsequent voluntary ac-
tion Of tho governments we have
seen destroy Russia and deceive Ru-
mania.
Some Of the Details.
But these general terms do not
disclose the whole matter. Some de-
tails are needed to make them sound
less like thesis and more like a
practical program. These, then, are
some Of the particulars, and state