Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-08
Gentlemen OF the congress


OF the United States and gives q del
Gentlemen of the congress:
Once more, as repeatedly before,
the spokesman of the central en-
pires have indicated their desire
to discuss the objects of the war
and the possible basis of a gen.
eral peace. Parleys have been in
progress at Brest-Litovsk between
Russian representatives and rep
resentatives of the central powers
to which the attention of all the
belligerents has been invited for
the purpose of ascertaining wheth-
er it may be possible to extend
these parleys into a general con-
ference with regard to terms Of
peace and settlement. The Rus
sian representatives represented
not only perfectly definite state
ment of the principles upon which
they would be willing to conclude
peace but also an equally definite
program of the concrete applica-
ton of those principles. The rep
resentatives of the central powers
on their part presented an outline
Of settlement which, if much less
definite. seemed susceptible of lib
eral Interpretation until their
specific program Of practical
terms was added. That program,
proposed sno- concessions at an
o;tbar "a onvorof~ut~r ~ Drccio ~.
to the preferences Of the popula-
ton with whose fortunes it dealt,
but meant, in a word, that the
central empires were to KEEP ev-
cry foot of territory their armed
forces had occupied-every prov
ince, every city, every point Of
vantage-as a permanent addition
to their territories and their
power.
First by Liberals.
It is reasonable conjecture that
the general principles Of settle
ment which they at first suggest
ed, originated with the more lib
eral statesmen Of Germany and
Austria, the men who have begun
to feel the force of their own peo-
pies thought and purpose, while
the concrete terms of actual set
Element came from the military
leaders, who have no thought but
to keep what they have got. The
negotiations have been broken
off. The Russian representatives
were sincere and in earnest. They
cannot entertain such proposals
of conquest and domination.
Incident Significant
The whole incident is full Of
significance. 1t is also full of per-
plexity. With whom are the Rus
sian representatives dealing? For
whom are the representatives of
the central empires speaking?
Are they speaking for the ma
jorities of their respective parlia-
ments or for the minority parties,
that military and imperialistic
minority which has so far domi-
mated their whole policy and con-
trolled the affairs of Turkey and
felt obliged to become their asso-
ciates in this war? The Russian
representatives have insisted, very
justly, very wisely, and in the
true spirit of democracy that the
conferences they have been hold
ing with the Teutonic and Turk
ish statesmen should be held with
in open. not closed doors, and all
the world has been audience as
was desired. To whom have we
been listening then? To those
who speak the spirit and inten-
ton of the resolutions Of the Ger
man reichstag of the ninth of July
last, the spirit and intention OF
the liberal leaders and parties of
Germany, or to those who resist
and defy that spirit and intention
and insist upon conquest and sub
jugation? Or are we listening in
fact to both unreconciled and in
open and hopeless contradiction?
These are very serious and preg-
nant questions. Upon the answer
to them depends the peace Of the
world.
Is Another Challenge.
But whatever the results of the
parleys at Brest-Litovsk, what
ever the COMMISSIONS of counsel
and Of purpose in the utterances
OF the spokesman Of the central
empires, they have again attempt
ed to acauaint the world with
their objects in the war and have
again challenged their adversaries
to say what their objects are and
what sort OF settlement they
would deem just and satisfactory.
There is no good reason why that
challenge should not be responded
to, and responded to with the ut
most candor. We did not wait for
it. Not once, hut again and again
we have laid our whole thought
and purpose before the world, not
in general terms only hut ZACH