Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-02-20

| ternationaI conference or an under
standing between rivals and antagon-
! lists. National aspirations must be
respected peoples may now be domi-
mated and governed only by their own
consent.
| 'Self-determinatlon' is not a mere
phrase. II is an imperative principle
! of action, which statesmen will hence
| forth ignore at their peril. We cannot
| have general peace for the asking or
by the mere arrangement of peace
conference. II cannot be pieced to-
gether out of individual understand
ings between powerful states.
All Parties Must Join.
IAN the parties to this war must
join in the settlement of every issue
anywhere involved In Ii, because what
we are seeking Is a peace that we can
all unite 90 guarantee and maintain
and every item OF ii must be submit
ted TO the common judgment whether
1t be right or fair, an act of justice
rather than a bargain between SOW
| ereigns
AIN GliACu EoAdtES nus HO hNSiit "
interfere in European affairs or to act
as arbiter in European territorial dis
! putes. She would disdain to take ad.
vantage of any internal weakness or
disorder to impose her own will upon
another people. She is quite ready 10
be shown that the settlements she has
suggested are not the best or the most
enduring. They are only her own pro
visional sketch OF principles and of
the way in which they should be ap-
piled.
But size entered this war because
she was made a partner, whether she
would or not in the suiferings and In
tiers of Germany. against the peace
and security of mankind. and the CON
ditiOns of peace win touch her as near
~ as they will touch any other nation
TO which is intrusted a leading part
in the maintenance of civilization. She
cannot see her way to peace until the
causes of this war are removed. It's re-
newal rendered as nearly as may be i'm
possible.
Rights Of Weak Oisreqarded.
1.-THE war had it's roots in the dlsre-
gard OF the rights of small nations and
of nationalities which lacked the union
and the force TO make good their claim
to determine their own allegiances and
their own forms of political life
Covenants must now be entered
into which will render such things inn
/ possible for the future; and those COW
enants must be backed by the united
force of all the nations that love just
fee and are willing TO maintain it at
any cost. II territorial settlements
and the political relations OF great
| populations which have not the organ
lied power TO resist are to be deter
mined by the contracts Of the power
ful governments which consider them
selves most directly affected, as Count
Won Hertling proposes, why may not
economic questiones also? Il has come
about in the altered world in which
we now find ourselves that justice and
the rights of peoples affect the whole
| field of international dealing as much
| and equal conditions of trade.
/ Count Won Hertling wants the es-
/ sential bases of commercial and indus
| trial life TO be safeguarded by common
1 agreement and guaranty. but he cannot
! expect that to be conceded him II the
other matters to be determined by the
| articles of peace are not handled in the
! L. h.
| counting
Separate Pacts Barrier.
He cannot ask the benefit OF COM
mon agreement In the one field with
out according It In the other. take
1t for granted that he sees that sep
arate and selfish compacts with regard
! TO trade and the essential materials of
manufacture would afford no founda-
ton for peace. Neither. ne may rest
assured, will separate and selfish com
| pacts with regard to provinces and
1 peoples.
Count Czernin seems to see the
| fundamental elements of peace with
clear eyes and does not seek to obscure
them. He sees that an independent
| Poland, made up of all the lndisputa-
| bly, Polish peoples who lie contiguous
| 10 one another. is a matter of Euro
pean concern. and must, of course, be
conceded; that Bel rum must be evac-
uated and restOree no matter what
sacrifices and concessions that may in
vOlve. and that national aspirations
must be satisfied even within his own
| empire in the common interest of Eu-
rope and mankind. If he is silent
about questions which touch the inter
1 est and purpose of his allies more
nearly than they touch those of Aus
tria only, 1t must of course be because
| he feels constrained. | suppose. to de-
| fer to Germany and Turkey in the cir
cumstances.
Seeing and cOnceding as he does
the essential principles involved and
the necessity of candldly applying
them. he naturally feels that Austria
can respond to the purpose of peace
as expressed by the United States
with less embarrassment than could
Germany He would probably have
gone c.uch further had 1t not been for
the embarrassments of Austria's alli-
ances and OF her dependence upon Ger
many.
After ALL the lest of whether Ii is
possible for either government to go
any further in this comparison of
views is simple and obvious.
Principles Approved.