The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-10-12
THE BASIS OF PEACE.
PROGRAM OF PRESIDENT WIL-
SON IN FOURTEEN TERMS.
Position of President Set Forth I'm
Detail in Address to Congress Last
January-German Chancellor Now
Asked If He Accepts Them With
ont Qualification.

ed in IA terms in his aqdreSS TO
congress last January 8 and which
the German now is asked to say
whether he accepts without quali6ca-
ton before the president replies TO
the latest peace proposal is. as fol- (
lows:
1. Open covenants of peace, open
ly arrived at, after which there. shall
be no private international under
standings of any kind but diplomacy
shall proceed always frankly and in :
the public view.
g.. Absolute freedom of navigation
upon the seas, outside territorial
waters, alike in peace and in war,
except as the seas may be closed in
whole or in part by international ac-
national covenants.
3. The removal, so far as possible
of all economic barriers and the es-
tablishment of an equality of. trade
conditions among all nations con-,
senting to the peace and associating
themselves for it's maintenance.
4. Adequate guarantees given and
taken that national armaments will
be reduced to the lowest point con-
sistent with domestic safety.
5. A free openminded and abso-
lutely impartial adjustment Of CO.
lonial claims, based upon a strict
observance of the principle that. in
determining all such questions Of
sovereignty the interests of the popu-
lations concerned must have equal
weight with the equitable claims Of
the government whose title is to be-
determined.
6. The evacuation Of all Russian
territory and such a settlement Of all
questions affecting Russia as will Sc.
cure the best and freest cooperation
of the other nations of the world in
obtaining for her an unhampered and
unembarrassed opportunity for the
Independent determination Of her,
own political development and nat
ional policy and assure her Of a sin
cere welcome into the society Of free
nations under institutions Of her own
choosing; and more than welcome as
sistance also of every kind that she
may need and may herself desire.
The treatment accorded Russia by her
sister nations in the months to come
will be the acid test of their good will,
of their comprehension of her deeds
as distinguished from their own in
terest and of their intelligent and un-
selfish sympathy.
{. Belgium, the whole world will
agree, must be evacuated and re-
stored, without any attempt to limit
! the sovereignty which she enjoys in
common with all other free nations.
No other single act will serve as this
to restore confidence among the ma
tons in the laws which they them
selves have set and determined for
the government of their relations
with one another Without this heal
ing act the whole structure and valid,
ity OF international law is forever i'm
paired. -
8. All French territory should be
freed and the invaded portions re-
stored, and the wrong done to France
by Prussia in 1871 in the matter Of
Alsace-Lorraine, which has unsettled
the peace Of the world for nearly SO
!. years, should be righted, in order that
peace may once more be made secure
in the interest of all. -:
9. A readjustn1ent of the frontiers
5 of Italy should be effected along
. clearly recognizable lines Of national
| ity
10. The people of Austria-Hun-
gary, whose place among nations we
wish to see safeguarded and assuS-
ed, should be accorded the freest OPP
portunity of autonomous develop
ment
, II. Roumania, Serbia, and Monte
negro should be evacuated occupied
; territories restored; Serbia accorded
free and secure access to the sea and
the relations OF the several Balkan
States to one another determined by
friendly counsel along historically es-
tablished lines of allegiance and ma
tionality and international guaran-
tees of the political and economical
independence and territorial integrity
Of the several Balkan States should
be entered into.
IL. The Balkan portions Of the
present Ottoman empire should be as
| SuFSU d. secure sovereignty, pUl tA9
other nationalities which are now un-
der Turkish rule should be assured
an undoubted security of life and alb
solutely unmolested opportunity for
autonomous developments and the
Dardanelles should be permanently
opened as free passage to the ships
and commerce of all nations under
| int tiono1 nfooc
13. An independent Polish state
should be erected which should in
clude the territories inhabited by in
disputably Polish populations which
should be assured a free and secure
access to the sea, and whose political
and economic independence and ter
ritorial integrity should be guaran-
teed by international covenant
IA. A general association of ma
tons must be formed under specific
covenants for the purpose of afford
ing mutual guarantees Of political in
dependence and territorial integrity