The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1918-01-25
PRESIDENT WILSON'S LUCID
STATEMENT or AMERICAS WAR
AIMS AND PEACE TERMS.
PUTS THE ONUS ON GERMANY
Bolshevlkl Make Peace With Bulgaria
and Resume Negotiations at Brest-
Lltovsk--snow Stops Teutons In
ltaIy-secretary Bakers
Elaborate Defense.
BY EDWARD W. PIckARp.

President Wilson's statement of the
war aims of America, following and al
most identical with that of Premier
Lloyd George, placed fatty before the
people OF the central powers the choice
between n reasonable peace and con-
tinuance OF the war until they are
forced to accept the terms offered them
by victorious foes. Moreover, the
choice of the German government must
soon be made, for according to credible
reports from Europe the statements of
the president and the premier have
brought close to a crisis the political
dissension III the Fatherland and have
served 10 unmask the pan-Germans,
who demand, with threats, that the
kaiser shall align himself with them
for strong peace" The socialists
stand as firmly as ever for demo-
cratic peace, and If Wilhelm sides
against them, he and the Prusslan milf
tarists will have before them the inn
possible task Of making good with de-
cisiys military victories over the armed
forces of Great Britain, France and the
United States II they fail. as fail they
must II Is easy 10 predict a sweeping
revolution In Germany, but between
now and that event must Intervene
long period Of bloody fighting. The
pan.Germans have no Idea of yielding
tamely especially II they are support.
ed by the emperor, which seems likely.
In the main Mr.. Wilson's address CO.
lncided with that of Mr.. Lloyd George
SO far as the essentials of peace are
concerned. He was little more In
slstent ON some points, little less on
others; and he spoke more at length
about Russia, expressing the deep
sympathy Of America for the strug-
Cling people Of that country and en-
/ couraging the bolshevikl to stand firm
| against the terms of German con-
/ quest.
All through the program set forth
by the president runs, as he said, the
principle of justice TO all peoples and
all natiOnalltles, and their right to live
on equal terms Of liberty and safety
with one another, whether they be
strong or weak.
Just one OF the peace essentials as
stated by Mr.. Wilson met with some
criticism in the United States, and that
from certain Republican leaders. This
was the section calling for the "estab-
ishment of an equality OF trade con
ditlons among all the nations consent
ing TO the peace and assoclatlng them
selves for its maintenance" II that
means the elimination Of all tariffs, a
world free trade, say the Republican
statesmen, they cannot assent 70 II. All
who were quoted concerning the mes
sage declared Il most timely, for they
believe with the president that the
moral climax Of the war has come.
The German press generally con.
demns President Wilson's peace aims
as Il did those o. Lloyd George, most
of the papers calling his program ut
terly Impossible. especially as regard,
Alsace- Lorraine. the internal affairs 81
Austria.Hungary and the partition ot
Turkey.
Peace Conference Resumed.
Apparently backing water, the Rus
sian delegates. headed by Trotxky him
SELF. rvturned 10 Brest-Iltoysk on Tues
day and resumed the peace negotia
tssss with the central powers. BE
fore departing from Petrograd the boil
shcyiki foreign minister expressed hii
deer suspicion Of the motives OF tn,
entente allies, declaring they wanted
Germany TO make an advantageous
separate peace with Russia so Ger
many would be more willing TO sur
render what the allies want I'm IN
west Incidentally. Trotzky repeate,
he story that 25,O0O German troops ii