Meade County news., 1918-02-21

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defers. as l understand him, to Austria
and Turkey; and with regard to the
agreements to be entered into concern
ing the non-Turkish peoples of the
present Ottoman empire to the Turk
ish authorities themselves. After a
settlement all around, effected in this
fashion, by individual barter and con-
cession, he would have no objection,
If 1 correctly interpret his statement,
to league Of nations which would un-
dertake to hold the new balance Of
power steady against external disturb
| ances.
1T must be evident to everyone who
understands what this war has
wrought In the opinion and temper Of
the world that no general peace, no
peace worth the infinite sacrifices of
these years Of tragical suffering, can
possibly be arrived at In any such
fashion.
Peace Of World Is at Stake.
"The method the German chancellor
proposes is the method of the congress
of Vienna. We cannot and will not
return to that. What is at stake now
Is the peace of the world. What we
are striving for Is new international
order based upon broad and universal
principles Of right and Justlce-no
mere peace Of shreds and patches. Is
it possible that Count Won Hertling
does not see that, does not grasp 1t, is,
in fact. living in his thought in world
dead and gone? Has he utterly for
gotten the reichstag resolutions Of the
10Th Of July, or does he deliberately
ignore them? They spoke of the con-
ditions Of a general peace, not Of ma
tional aggrandizement or Of arrange
peace Of the world depends upon the
just settlement of each of the several
problems to which adverted in my re-
cent address to the congress. l, Of
course, do not mean that the peace
of the world depends upon the accept
ance Of any particular set of sugges-
tions as to the way in which those
problems are to be dealt with. l mean
only that these problems, each and all,
affect the whole world; that unless
selfish and unbiased justice, with
view to the wishes, the natural con-
nections, the racial aspirations, the Sc
curity and peace Of mind of the peo-
pies involved, no permanent peace will
have been attained.
"They cannot be discussed separate
ly or in corners. None of them con-
stitute a private or separate interest
from which the opinion Of the world
may be shut out. Whatever affects
the peace affects mankind, and moth
ing settled by military force, If settled
wrong, Is settled at all. 1t will pres
emily have to be reopened.
Refers to Reichstap Resolutions.
"Is Count Won Hertllng not aware
that he is speaking in the court of
mankind, that all the awakened ma
tions Of the world now sit in judgment
on what every public man Of whatever
nation may say on the issues Of con-
flict which has spread to every region
of the world2 The reichstag resolu-
tions of July themselves frankly ac-
cepted the decisions of that court.
There shall be no annexations, no con-
tributiOns, no punitive damages. Peo-
pies are not to be handed about from
one sovereignty to another by an in
ternatiOnal conference or an under
standing between rivals and antagon-
ists National aspirations must be re-
spected, peoples may now be dominat-
ed and governed only by their own con-
sent.
eIf-Determinatlon" Imperative.
"'Self-determination is not a mere
phrase, 1t is an imperative principle
of action, which statesmen will hence
forth ignore at their peril. All the
parties to this war must join in the
settlement of every issue anywhere in
volved in 1t, because what we are seek
ing Is a peace that we can all. unite to
guarantee and maintain and every item
of 1t must be submitted to the common
judgment whether 1t be right or fair,
an act of justice rather than bargain
between sovereigns.
"The United States has no desire
to interfere In European affairs or to
act as arbiter in European territorial
disputes. She would disdaln to take
advantage of any internal weakness or
disorder to impose her own will upon
another people. She is quite ready to
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 applied.
Causes Must Be Removed.
"But she entered this war because
she was made a partner, whether she
would or not, in the suffef1ngs and in
dignities inflicted by the military mas
ters of Germany, against the peace and
security of mankind, and the condi-
tions of peace will touch her as nearly
as they will touch any other nation to
which is entrusted leading part in
the maintenance of civilization. She
cannot see her way to peace until the