The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-01-10

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Washington. Jan. 9.-President Will
son, addressing congress, delivered a
restatement of war aims in agreement
with the recent declaration by the Brit
ish premier, David Lloyd George.
The president spoke as follows:
Gentlemen of the Congress-:
Once more, MS repeatedly before,
the spokesman Of the central empires
have indicated their desire to discuss
the objects of the war and possible
basis Of general peace.
"Parleys have been in progress at
Brest-Litoysk between representatives
of the central powers to which the at
tention of I'll the belligerents has been
invited, for the purpose of ascertaining
whether it may be possible to extend
these parleys into general conference
with regard to terms of peace and set
tlement.
Presented Definite Statement.
'The Russian representatives pre-
scented not only a perfectly definite
statement of the principles upon which
they would be willing to conclude
peace, but also an equally definite pro-
gram of the concrete application of
those principles.
"The representatives of the central
powers, on their part, presented an
outline of settlement which, if much
less definite, seemed susceptible of lib
eral Interpretation under their specific
program of practical terms was added.
"rhe program proposed no conces-
sions at all, either to sovereignty of
Russia or to the preferences of the
population with whose fortunes 1t
dealt, but meant, in a word, that the
central empires were to keep every
foot of territory their armed forces had
occupied-every province, every city,
every point of vantage-as a perman-
ent addition to their territories and
their power. 1t is q reasonable con-
lecture that the general principles Of
settlement which they at first suggest
ed originated with the more liberal
statesmen of Germany and Austria, the
men who have begun TO feel the force
of their own peoples thought and ppr-
pose, while the concrete terms of ac-
tual 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
entertain such proposals CT conquest
and domination.
1.-THE Whole incident is full of signifi.
canoe. 1t is also full Of perplexity. With
whom are the Russian representatives
dealing? For whom are the represent
atives of the central empires speakingi
Are they speaking for the majorities
of their respective parliaments or for
the minority parties, that military and
imperialistic minority which has so far
dominated their whole policy and con-
trolled the affairs of Turkey and of the
Balkan states which have felt obliged
to become their associates in this war
"The Russian representatives have
insisted, very justly, very wisely, and
in the true spirit of democracy, that
the conferences they have been hold.
ing with the Teutonic and Turkish
statesmen should be held within open,
not closed, doors, and all the world
has been audience as was desired. To
whom have we been listening then ?
To those who speak the spirit and in
tention of the resolutions of the Ger
man reichstag on the 9th of July last,
the spirit and intention of the liberal
leaders and parties of Germany, or to
those who resist and defy that spirit
and intention and insist upon conquest
and subjugation2 Or are we listening
in fact to both unreconciled and in
open and hopeless contradiction Z
These are very serious and pregnant
questions.
"Upon the answer to them depends
the peace of the world.
"But whatever the results of the par
legs at Brest-Litovsk, whatever the
confusions of counsel and of purpose
In the utterances of the spokesman OF
the central empires, they have again
attempted to acquaint the world with
their objects in the war and have again
challenged their adversaries to say
what their objects are and what sort
Of settlement they would deem just
and satisfactory.
'grhere Is no good reas0c whI fn1|