The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-07-18

President Wilson Makes Patri-
0tic Address TO AssembIage
at Mount Vernon.
AN ANSWER TO PEACE FEELERS
Military Autocracy Must Be Eliminated
From Face OF Earth, He Said
The Only Issue.

Washington, July 5.-President Viii
son answered all feelers for a cOznpro-
mise peace yesterday with a new and
unqualified conservation Of America
to the struggle for cleaning military
autocracy from the world.
At an Independence Day gathering
on the gentle slopes of Mount Vernon.
home and tomb of George Washing
ton, and surrounded by scenes which
looked upon the creation of this Ma
ton, the President addressed a small
gathering of officials and of diplomats
OF the Allied nations.
Spoke to the World.
But he spoke to the world and he
spoke the logical sequel to his force
without stint or limit declaration of
several weeks ago.
Unreservedly, the President de-
clared that there could be no thought
of a peace which did not mean the
destruction of military autocracy or
its reduction to virtual impotence.
"a reign Of law, based on the con-
sent of the governed and sustained
by the organized opinion of mankind"
was the way he summarized in sim
in the world war.
1.-THE past and the present are in
deadly grapple and the peoples of the
world are being done to death between
them," said President Wilson.
Settlement Must Be Final.
There can be only one issue. The
settlement must be final. There can
be no compromise. No half way de-
cision would be tolerabIe No half
way decision is conceivable.
These are the ends for which the
associated peoples of the world are
fighting which must be conceded them
before there can be peace.
l. The destruction of every arbi-
trary power anywhere that can sep
arately, secretly and of its single
choice, disturb the peace of the world;
or, if it cannot be presently destroy
ed, at the least its reduction to Vir-
tual impotence.
2. The settlement of every Ques-
ton, whether of territory, of sover-
eighty, of economic arrangement, or
of political relationship, upon the
basis of the free acceptance of that
settlement by the people Immediately
COnCSInOQ, anu nOI upOn TIC DcSIS VI
the material interest or advantage of
any other nation or people which may
desire a different settlement for the
sake of its own exterior influence or
mastery.
3. The consent of all nations to be
governed in their conduct towards
each other by the same principles of
honor and of respect for the common
law of civilized society that govern
the individual citizens Of all modern
states in their relations with one an
other; to the end that all promises
and covenants may be observed sa-
credly, no private plots or conspira-
cies Matched, no selfish injuries
wrought with impunity, and a mutual
trust established upon the handsome
foundations of mutual respect for
right.
4. The establishment of an organi-
cation of peace which shall make it
certain that the combined power of
free nations will check every invasion
of right and serve to make peace and
justice the more secure by affording a
definite tribunal of opinion to which
all must submit and by which every
International adjustment that cannot
be agreed upon amicabIy by the peo-
pies directly concerned shall be sane
toned.
Seek a Reign of Law.
Those great objects can be put into
a single sentence. What we seek is
the reign of law, based upon the con-
sent of the governed and sustained
by the organized opinion of mankind.