The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1918-01-08

continued from page ONE
under Turkish rule and PERMANENT free
dom az tn eDardcneues
Thirteenth-An independent Poland
with access to the sea.
Fourtccntr-A league of nations ia
enforce SPECIFIC covenants
To realize this embodiment Of Jus
tice To- all peoples and nationaIitteS.'
that they may live on equal terms Of
liberty and safety with ono another
whether they he stron scr weak" the
president said the American people viii
devote their lives and honor
Immediate attention was called to the
fact and its significance that the prosi-
dent did not include elimination Of the
Hohenzollern dynasty as a war aim but
be laid down empheticslly the necessity
Of all future treatries and agreements
being made in the open.
The presidents address follows.
Gentlemen of the Congress: Once
more. as repeatedly before. the spokes-
men Of the Central empires have indi-
Gated their desire to discuss the sub
jet Of the war and the possible basis
Of a general peace.
"Parleys have been in progress al
Brest-Litovsk between representa- ives
Of the Central Powers to which atten-
ton Of all the belhgerents have been in
vited for the purpose of ascertaininS
whether it may be possible 10 extend
these parleys into a general conference
with reg rd to terms Of peace and set
tlement.
The Russian representative presented
not only 4 perfectly definite statement
Of the principles upon which they would
be willing to conclude peace hut also
an equally definite program Of the con
crete application of those principles.
REPRESENTATIVE of the Central Pow
ers. on their part. presented an outline
OF settlement which. il much less def
mite, seemed susceptible Of liberal inter
probation until their specific program
Of practical terms was added
That program proposed no conces-
sion at all either to the sovereignty of
Russia or 10 the preferences Of the pop
ulation with whose fortune it has dealt
but meant. in a word. that the Central
empires were 10 keep every foot of ter
ritory their armed forces had occupied
every province. every city, everp point
Of vanta ge-as a permanent addition to
their territories aud their power.
1T is reasonable 70 conjecture that
the general principles Of settlement
which they at FIRST 81 ggested original
"a with the more liberal statesmen Of
Germany and Austria. the men who have
begun 10 feel the force of their own
peoples thought and purpose while the
concrete terms of actual settlement
came from the military leaders. who
have no thought but 10 keep what they
have got. The me- otations have been
broken off. The Russian representative IS
were sincere and in earnest. They can
not entertain such proposals Of con
quest and domination.
The whole incident is full of sig
niicance- II is also fun Of perplexity
With whom are the Russian represent
atives dealing? Before whom are the
represep satives of the Central Powers
speaking Are they, speaking for. the
majority Of their respective parliaments
or for the minority parties. that military
and imperialistic minority which has 50
far dominated their whole policy and
controlled the affairs or Turkey and of
the Balkan states which have felt
obliged TO become their associate in
this war;
The Russian representa- ives have
insisted. worry justly, very wisely and
ia the true spirit Of modern democracy.
that the conferences they have been
holding with the Teutonic and Turkish
statesmen should be held within open.
not closed doors. a9d all the world has
been audienced as was desired. To
whom have We been listening. them To
those who speak the spirit and inten~
ton of the resolutions Of the German
+ Reichstag of the 9Th of July last. the
( spirit ana intention of the liberal lead
ers and parties Of Germany. or to those
who resist ana defy that spirit and in
/ tention and insist upon conquest and
subjugatione or are Wa listening in
fact, to both unreconciled and in open
and hopeless contradiction? These are
( very serious ana pregnant questions. 81