The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-01-19

the earth, the clanking OF chains was
heard here and there, and captive ma
/ tionalities, from the depths of their
age-long jails, cried out to US for help.
Yet more, they escaped TO come to our
aid. g.
Poland Came to Life,
Poland came to life again. sent US
troops. The Czecho-Slovaks won
their right to independence in ST..
IBERIA, in France. and in Italy. The
! Jugo-Slavs, the Armenians, the
Syrians, and the Lebanese, the Arabs,
all the oppressed peoples, all the vie
! Tins long helpless or resigned OF
great historic deeds Of injustice, all
the martyrs of the past, all the ou'-
! ragged consciences. all the stranglsd
( liberties reviewed the clash OF arms
| and started toward Us as their natural
/ defenders.
"War gradually attained the fun
ness OF its first. significance and be-
I came, in the fullest sense OF the
/ term, a crusade of humanity for
right, and, il anything can console
us. in part at least for the losses
! we have suffered, il is assuredIy :he
I thought that our victory is also the
victory or right This victory is corn
plete, for the enemy only asked for
/ the armistice to escape from an ir-
, retrievable military disaster. In the
i interest Of justice and peace, it now
rests with you to reap from this viz
tory its full fruits. e.
In order to carry. out this I'm
meRse task, ypu-haye decided TO .ad=
NIT at first only the allied or asso-
ciAted powers. and in so far as their
interests sre involved in the debates,
the nations which remained neutral
You have thought that the terms Of
peace ought to be settled among our
selves before they are communicated
to those against whom We have to-
gether fought the good fight.
Solidarity UnimUaired.
"The solidarity which has united
US during the war and has enabled
us to win military success ought to
remain unimpaired during the nego-
tiations for and after the signing OF
the treaty.
At is not only governments. but
free peoples, who are represented
here. Through the test OF danger
they have learned to know and help
one another. They want their init
mates of yesterday to assure the peace
or tomorrow.
VainIy would our enemies seek TO
divide US If they have not yet re-
nOunced their customary maneuveTS.
They will soon find that they are
meeting today, as during the HOSTILE
ties, a homogeneous block which
nothing will be able TO disintegrate.
Even before the armistiCe, YOU
placed that necessary unity under
the aid OF the lofty moral and politi-
cal traits of which President Wilson
-
prefer. and in the light of these
truths you intend to accomplish your
mission.
You will therefore seek nothing
but justice-justice that has no ia
vorites; justice in territorial prob
lens: Justice in financial problems;
justice in economic problems.
But justice is not inert; il does
not submit 10 injustice.
Justice demands. first, when it has
been violated, restitution and repara-
ton for the peoples and individuals |
who have been despOiled or maltreat- /
ed. IN formulating this lawful claim.
Justice obeys neither hatred nor an
instructive or thoughtIess desire for I
reprisals: il pursues a twO-fold OBJ |
ject 70 render to each his due and !
not to encourage crime through lea
ing it UNPUBLISHED.
PunIshment OF Guilty.
what justice also demands. in |
spired by the same feeling, is the /
punishment of the guilty and effec- /
tive guarantees against an active re-
turn of the spirit by which they were /
prompted. And il is logical to de
mand that these guarantees should I
be given. above all, to the nations |
that have been and might again be
most exposed to aggresSions or |
threats: to those who have many I
times stood in danger of being sub
merged by the periodic tide Of the !
same invasion.
What justice banishes is the dream .
OF conquest and Imperialism. contempt [
for national will. the arbitrary eN /
change OF provinces between states, as .
though peoples were but articles "f .
furniture or pawns in a game. The ,
time is no more when diplomats could /
meet to redraw, with authority, the !
map Of empires on the corner of A ia (
BILE If you are to remake the map nf ,
The world, il is in the name OF the
peoples and on condition that you
shall faithfully interpret Their
thoughts and respect the rights NJ /
nations. small and great, 10 dispose
Of themselves and to recognize the |
rights OF minOrities-a formidable
task which science anG history, your