Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-02-11

reason why he should communicate pri-
vately with me. am quite content to
be one of his public audience.
Reply Is Vague.
Count Won Hertling's reply is, must
say, very vague and very confusing. 1t
is full of equivocal phrases and leads it
is not clear where. But it is certainly in
very different tone from that of Count
Czernin and apparently of an opposite
purpose. 1t confirms, L am sorry to say,
rather than removes, the unfortunate
impression made by what he had learned
of the conferences at Brest -Litovsk. His
discussion and acceptance of our gener-
al principles lead him to nc practical
conclusions. He refuses to apply them
to the substantiative items which must
constitute the body of any final settle
ment. He is jealous of international ac-
tion and of international council. He
accepts, he says, the principle of public
diplomacy, but he appears to insist that
it be confined, at any rate in this case,
to generalities and that the several par
ticular questions of territory and SOW
Iereignty, the several questions upon
whose settlement must depend the ac-
ceptance of peace by the twenty three
states now engaged in the war, must
be discussed and settled, not in general
council, but seyerally by the nations
most Immediately concerned by interest
or neighborhood. He agrees that the seas
should be free but looks askance to
any limitation to the freedom by the
inf pofi oil in, ho &
the common order. He would without re-
serve be glad to see economic barriers
removed between nation and nation for
that could in no way impede the ambi-
tions of the military party with whom
he seems constrained to keep on terms.
Neither does he raise objection to linn
itation of armaments. That matter will
be settled of itself, he thinks, by the |
economic conditions which must follow |
the war. But the German colonies, he |
demands, must be returned without de-
bate. He will discuss with no one but |
the representatives of Russia what dis |
position shall be made of the peoples |
and the lands of the Baltic provinces; |
with no one but the government of |
France the conditions" under which |
French territory shall be evacuated; !
and only with Austria what shall be |
done with Poland. In the determination |
of all questions affecting the Balkan
states he defers, as | understand him, to
Austria and Turkey; and with regard |
to the agreement to be entered into CON
cerning the nonTurkish people of the
present Ottoman empire, to the Turkish
themselves. After a settle
ment all around, effected in this fash
ion, by individual barter and concession,
he would have no objection, if 1 cor
rectly interpret his statement, to lea
que of nations which would undertake
to hold the new balance of power steady
against external disturbance.
Not Sound Basis for Peace.
1t must be evident to everyone who
what this war has wrought
n the opinion and temper of the world,
hat no general peace, no peace worth
he infinite sacrifices of these years
If tragical suffering, can possibly be
lrrived at in any such fashion. The
method the German chancellor proposes
S the method of the congress of Wen
Ia. We cannot and will not return to
hat. What is at stake now is the peace
# the world. What we are striving for
s a new international order, based on
road and universal principles of right
md iustiee-no mere peace of shreds
nd patches. 1t is possible that Count
ION Hertling does not see that, does
lot grasp it, is in fact living in his
bought in a world dead and gones Has
e utterly forgot the reiehstag resolu-
ions of the nineteenth of July or does
e deliberately ignore them9 They spoke
f the conditions of a general peace,
OF of national aggrandizement or Of ar
angements between state and state. The
eace of the world depends upon the
ust settlement of each of the several
roblems TO which l adverted in my re-
ent address to the congress. l, of
curse. do not mean that the peace of
he world depends upon the acceptance
E any particular set of suggestions as
D the way in which those problems are
, be dealt with. I mean only that these
roblems each and all affect the whole
-orld; that unless they are dealt with
] a. spirit of unselfish and unbiased
lstiee, with a view to the wishes, the
atural connections, the racial aspira-
Ons, the security and the peace of
lind OF the peoples involved, no per
ianent peace win have been attained.
hey cannot be discussed separately