The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-23

SdS0u III HUT tdl CO1AlllCG WILL u and progress. ~
 The two systems are irreconcilabie; they admit of no compromise, and one of them must perish. If the final settlement of the war is to be vic tory for the ideals for which the Al lies entered the conflict-a real peo- ples' peace, finding it's expression in an extension of popular liberty and league of free peoples-it follows that the complete abolition from the world of irresponsible autocratic gov ernment and the permanent triumph of democracy must be secured.
 The bond of a nation must be giv- en to the settlement by the people themselves, for this is the only way in which the civilization of the future can be provided with safeguards and guarantees that are adequate and ef- fective.
 A Coming of World Democracy
 Already the war has demonstrated the extraordinary power invested in free peoples. Great Britain, France and Italy can produce abundant evil dence in support of this contention, but Russia and America provide two remarkable instances.
 Take the case of the United States. For several months President Wilson had recognized that his country must eventually intervene in the war on the side of the Allies and in defence of the great principles of freedom and liberty, but it was not until the American people were convinced be- yond all doubt of the righteousness of this course that he was empowered to organize his country for war.
 Then in Russia, with a population of 1S0 millions oppressed by absolute government, the autocracy of the Cbar has for even been broken and replaced by a republic. In the midst of a great war these vast millions have thrown off the tyranny of cen turies, become a free people, and are slowly working out their own saliva tion, determined not to exchange the | internal yoke of the Car for the ex- ternal yoke of the Kaiser. The gal lant efforts of the young democracy should inspire us to give all possible assistance, so that the work of libera- ton may be completed and this new | ly-Won freedom made a potent factor in securing the fruits of the revolu- tion for the benefit of world demo- cracy.
 Had the autocratic government of Russia continued, the people would have suffered further enslavement as the result of the war, and the cause of the Allies would have been sold by a corrupt obligarchy; but demo- cratic Russia struggles to consolidate the revolution and to discharge its obligations to its partners in the struggle for world freedom. It may safely be claimed that the patriotism loyalty, and sacrifice of the working classes in all the Allied countries havt
 been the most remarkable features of the war, and the working classes have clearly established their righ to have g. voice in the final settle ment of peace policy. Democracy must assert it's position and impress itself more and more upon nationa and international life.
 The Democratization of Germany
 The successful consolidation of th' recent revolution in Russia brings al
 llS A1lI0d ldL1OItS lutO llu0 as QClIlO
 cratic peoples living under represen
 tative Constitutional government. A
 any peace conference in which the! take part the representatives of tht Allied governments will speak anC , act in the name of their respectiyt
 peoples, but at present German rep resentatives speak and act only fo the Kaiser. It is obvious, therefore
 that the characterization of the gov
 ernment in Germany must be accom- : plished before, and not after, peac negotiations.
 I know there are those who sa. that the question of the system. 0 government in Germany is one solel,
 for the people of Germany to deter
 mine. Before the war this claim wa perfectly justifiable, but in the ligh of the last three years experience !, it is not now admissible. The whol
 world is grooming and quivering un
 der the blighting influence and eff , fleets of the policy pursued by Imper ialistic Germany-a policy which Il
 democratically governed nation coul
 have conceived or would have toleI . ated. When the devastating feet c 0 German Imperialism trespasse h across the territorial frontiers of tn
 national ideals of other peoples, it be
 came a problem of vital and imme n diate concern to the whole world.
 Moreover, as one party to an
 peace settlement that may be mad,
 the Allies are perfectly justified
 saying to the German people: "Afte our past experiences we cannot ac n cept the bond of your Kaiser. Ou quarrel is with him and his irrespor
 sib1e advisers, who consider treatie
 to be scraps of paper and whose ir 2 ternational policy is based on the fol l. mu1a 'nechssity knows no law Pres dent Wilson, the British Prime Mini.
 te, other Allied statesmen, and A
 lied Labor and Socialist conference B. have all declared that the Allies al '- not at war with the German peop 5, as a people, but with the Kaiser ar
 his government, and that it would 1
 much easier for the Allies to negot l, ate with democratic Germany; N; d tional responsibility, as it is concei, D. ed by a free people, can only be give l. and accepted as a guarantee for u
 lsanctity and permanence of a pea,