The Dermott news., 1918-02-21

claim to determine their own aI- legiances and their own forms of po- litical life.
 Count von Hertling wants the es- Sential bases of commercial and in- dustrial life to be safeguarded by com mon agreement and guaranty, but he cannot expect that to be conceded him if the other matters to be determined by the articles of peace are not han died in the same way us items in the final accounting.
 No Foundation for Peace"
 "Ile cannot ask the benefit of com mon agreement in the one field with out according it in the other. take it for granted that he sees that separ- ate and selfish compacts with regard to trade and the essential materials ef manufacture would afford no toundn- ton for peace. Neither, he may rest assured, will separate and selfish com pacts with regard to provinces and peoples.
 Count C2ernin seems to see the fundamental clements If peace with clear eyes and does not seek to oh- scure them. He sees that an independ- ent Poland, made up of all the indis- putably Polish peoples who lie con ugueHs Co one another k matter If European concern, and must, at course, be conceded; that Belgium must be evacuated and restored, no matter what sacrifices and concessions that may involve and that national IS plratious must be satisfied even within his own empire in the common interest of Europe and mankind.
 Seeing and cencedHg aS he does the essential principles involved aud the necessity of candidly applying them. he naturally feels that Austria can respond to the purpose of peace i as expressed by the United States with ] less embarrassment than could Ger many He would probably have gone must further had 1t not been for the emharraSSments of Austria's all!"o"s- and of her dependence upon Germany. After all, the test of whether Ii is possible for either government to Co any further in this comparison of views k simple and obvious.
 Principles to Be Applied,
 The principles 10 be applied are i these:
 "1 That each part of the final set i tlcWent must he based upon the cssen- tial justice of that particular cauSe and upon such adjustments as are most likely To bring a peace that will be permanent.
 "22 That peoples and provinces are not to be hartered about from soyer- eighty to sovereignty aS | they were mere ehattcls and pawns h game, even the great game now forever dis= credited. of tHe balance af power; but that,
 "3 Every territorial settlement in. volvea ia this WAT must te made iH the interest and for thc benefit ot the populations concerned aa4 Hat as Il part ot airy adjustment CT compromise of claims among rival states, and.
 Il Tint all well.dettaea national aspirations shuH be accorded the ut. most satisfaction that can he accorded them Without introducing ueW or per petu9tfns old clements of d.>c0rl and autasamsm that would he likely In time te break the peace ef Europe and consequently of the world.
 "A general pence erected an such foundations can he discussed, In tiI such peace can be secured We have no choice but to gp on. So far as we can judge these principles that We regard as fundamental are already everywhere accepted among the spokesmen If the military and annex. atoniSt party In Germany. The trag lcnl circumstance Is that this one party in Germany Is apparently willing and able to send millions of men 10 their death te prevent what all the world now sees to be Just.
 II would not he true spokesman of the people of the United States If I did not say once more that We en- tered ths war upon no small occasion and that We never can turn back from a course chosen upon principle. Our resources are In part mohiltzrd now, and We shall not pause until they are mohilzed in their entirety. our arm les are rapidly going to he fighting front and will 20 more and more rap- idly.
 "Our whole strength will be put Into this war of emancipatlan-em emauclpn. ton from the threat md attempted mastery of selfish groups of autocratie rulers whatever the difficulties and present partial delays
 We Shall Not Turn Back"
 We are iudomltahle in our power of independent action and can in no circumstance consent to live in world governed by intrigue and force We believe that nur own desire for new international order under which reason and justice and the common In tcrests of mankind shall prevail Is the : desire of enlightened men everywhere Without that new order the world will