The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1918-01-17

them to accept. had been stated with .
franknees, a largeness OF view, gem
crosby OF spirit, and universal human
sympathy, which must challenge the adj
miration Of every friend of mankind, and
they have refused to compound their
ideals or desert others that they them
selves may be safe. They call to us to
say what 1t is that we desire, In what,
II anything our purpose and our spirit
differ from theirs; and I believe that
the people of the United States would
wish me to respond. with utter simple
ent leaders believe 1t or not, 1t Is our
heartfelt desire and hope that some way
may be opened whereby we may be
STA to attain their utmost hope of lib
erty and ordered peace.
Nc Secret Negotiations.
!. 1t will be our wish and purpose that
the processes of peace. when they are
begun, shall be absolutely open and that
they shall involve and permit henceforth
no secret understandings OF any kind.
Is gone by; SO is also the day Of secret
covenants entered into in the interest
or particular governments and likely at
some unlooked-for moment to upset the
peace Of the world. 1t is this happy fact
now clear to the view of every public
man whose thoughts do not still linger in
an age that is dead and gone. which
purposes are consistent with justice and
the peace Of the world to avow or at
any other time the objects it has in
view.
We entered this war because viola
tions OF right had occurred. which
touched us to the quick and made the life
of our own people impossible unless they
were corrected and the world. secured
once for all against their recurrence.
What we demand in this war. therefore,
Is nothing peculiar to ourselves. IL IS
that the world be made fit and safe TO
live in: and particularly that 1t be made
safe for every peace loving nation, which
like our own, wishes to live it's own life.
determine it's own institutions, be- as
other peoples of the world as against
force and selfish aggression. All the
peoples of the world are in effect part
ners in this interest and for our own
part we see very clearly that unless JUS
tice be done to others it will not De uone
to us. The program of the worlds
peace therefore is our program: and
that program, the only possible program,
as we see 1t, is:
Americas Terms.
i. Open covenants. of peace, openly
arrived at, after which there shall be no
private international understandings OF
any kind but diplomacy shall proceed
always frankly and in the public view.
2. Absolute freedom of navigation upon
alike in peace and in war, except as the
seas may be closed in whole or in part
by international action for the enforce
ment of international covenants.
all economic barriers and the establish
ment of an equality of trade conditions
among all the nations consenting to the
peace and associating themselves for its
maintenance.
4. Adequate guarantees given and
taken that national ornaments will be
reduced to the lowest points consistent
with domestic safety.
s. A free, open-minded and absolutely
impartial adjustment of all colonial
claims, based upon a strict observance
OF the principle that in determining all
such questions of sovereignty the inter-
ests Of the populations concerned must
have equal weight with the equitable
claims of the government whose title Is
Evacuation Of Russia.
6. The evacuation of all Russian ter
ritory and such settlement of all ques-
tons affecting Russia as will secure the
best and freest cooperation of the other
nations of the world in obtaining for her
an unhampered and unembarrassed OPP
portunity for the independent determine.
and national policy. and assure her OF
sincere welcome into the society Of
free nations under institutions OF her
assistance also Of every kind that she
may need and herself desire.
The treatment accorded Russia by her
sister nations in the months to come
will be the acid test of their good win.
OF their comprehension of her needs as
DISTINGUISHED from their own interests
and of their intelligent and unselfish
sympathy.
L Belgium, the whole world will
agree. must be evacuated and restored,
without any attempt to limit the SOW
with all other free nations. No other
single act will serve, as this will serve.
to restore confidence among the nations
in the laws, which they have themselves
set and determined for the government
of their relations with one another.
Without this healing act the whole
structure and validity of international
law Is forever impaired
s. All French. territory should be freed
and the invaded portions restored 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
arighted in order that peace may once
more be made secure in the interest Of
ALL
ReadIust italy.
g. readjustment of the frontiers of
Italy should be effected along clearly
recognizable lines of nationality.
TO- The peoples of Austria Hungary.
whose place among the nations we wish
to see safeguarded and assured, should
be accorded the freest opportunity OF
autonomous development.
IL. Rumania, Serbia and Montenegro
should be evacuated; occupied territories
restored; Serbia. accorded free and Sc
cure access to the sea; and the relations
of the several, Balkan states TO one an
along Historically established lines of al
legiance and nationality; and interna-
tional guarantees of the people and eco
nomic independence and territorial integ-
rity of the several Balkan states should
be entered into.
IL, The Turkish portions of the pres
ent Ottoman empire should be assured
tionalities which are now under turkish
rule should be assured and undoubted
security of life and an absolutely unmo-
Nf c.
yelopment, and the Dardanelles should
be permanently opened as free pass.
age to the ships and commerce OF all
nations under interna5ionai guara ana,eid
he erected which should include the ter
ritories inhabited by indisputably Polish
populations. which should be assured
free and secure access to the sea-. and
whose political and economic independ-
ence and territorial integrity should be
guaranteed by international covenant.
IA general association OF nations
must be formed, under specific coven-
ants for the purpose of affordlng mutual
guarantees Of political independence and
territorial integrity to great ana sman
In regard to these essential ratifica-
lions of wrong and assertions OF right,
we feel ourselves to be intimate part
associated together against the imper-
ialists We cannot be, separated In IN
terest or divided in purpose. We stand
Fiuht to the Finish.
For such arrangements and covenants
we are willing to fight and continue to
fight until thew are achieved; but only
because we wish the right to prevail and
desire a lust and stable peace, such as
can be secured only by removing the
chief provocatfons to war. which this
program does remove. We have no Jeai-
pnsy of German greatness, and there is
nothing in this program that impairs. It.
We w g a her no achievement or dis
tinction Of learning or of pacific enter
prise sucn as have made her RECORD vss