The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-02-16
tcrials and fair end equal conditions

Count Won HeftlihE wants the cS-
sontial bases OF commercial and in
dustrial life to be safeguarded by
common agreement and guarantee.
but lie can not expect that to be con.
ceded him if the other matters to be
determined by the articles of peace
ire not handled in the same way as
items I'm the final accounting. He can
not asl; the benefit Of common agree
ment i'm the one field without accord
ing il in the other. i take it for
;ranted that he sees that separate and
selfish compncts with regard to trade
md the essential materials OF manu-
facture would afford no foundation
for peace. Neither, he may rest as
surcd will separate and selfish COM
pacts with regard 10 provinces ana
peoples.
Count Czernin seems to see the
fundamental elements of peace with
clear eyes and docs not seek to OBJ
scure them. He sees that an inde-
pendent Poland, made up of all the
indisputable Polish peoples who lie
contiguous to one another, is a matter
of European concern and must OF
course be conceded; that Belgium
must be evacuated and restored, no
matter what sacrifices and concessions
that may involve; and that national
aspirations must be satisfied, even
within his own empire, in the COM
mon interest Of Europe and mankind.
II he is silent about questions which
touch the interest and purpose of his
allies more nearly than they touch
those of Austria only. it must of
course be because he feels cOnstrain-
cd, suppose. to defer to Germany
and Turkey in the circumstances
SEEING and conceding, as he does, the
essential principles involved and the
necessity Of candidly applying them.
he naturally feels that Austria can re-
spond to the purpose Of peace as ex-
pressed by the United States with less
embarrassment than could Germany.
He would probably have gone much
farther had II not been for the en-
barrassments of Austria's alliances
and of her dependence upon Germany.
After all. the test of whether it is
possible for either government to go
any further in this comparison of
views is simple and obvious. The prin-
ciples to be applied are these:
First. That each part Of the final
settlement must be based upon the es.
sential justice of that particular case
and upon such adjustments as are
most likely to bring a peace that will
be permanent;
Second: Thae peoples and prov
inces are not to be bartered about
from sovereignty to sovereignty as Il
hey were mere cfattels and pawns in
game. even the great game, now
forever dlscreditcd, Of the balance of
lower; but that,
Third Every Territorial settlemen,
involved in this war must be made in
the interest Of and for the benefit OF
he populations concerned, and not as
part of any mere adjustment OF
compromise Of claims amongst rival
states and,
Fourth. That all we'll defined ma
tional aspirations shall be accorded
the utmost satisfaction that can be ac-
corded them without introducing new
or perpetuating old elements of dis
cord and antagonism that would be
likely in time to break the peace OF
Europe and consequently of the
world
A general peace erected upon such
foundations can be discussed. Until.
such peace can be secured we have
no choice but to go on. So far us We
can judge, these principles that we re-
gard as fundamental are already ev-
erywhere accepted as imperative ex-
cept among the spokesmen Of the
military and annexationist party in
Germany. If they have anywhere else
oeen rejected, the objectors have no,
been sufficiently numerous or innu-
ehtiai to make their voices audible
me tragical circumstance is that this
one party In Germany is apparently
Wiling and able to send millions O:
'"'" 10 their death to prevent what all
hc world now sees to DC just.
would not be a true spok cs,nan OF
'he people Of the United States II did
not say once more that we venture,.