Evening star., 1921-11-03
CHAPTER XVIII.
FRENCH WAR AIMS AND THE
FOURTEEN POINTS.

The war lasted and grew greater
Each passing hour emphasized and con-
frmed its original character. The
beauty Of liberty passes everywhere.
For half a century ace-Lorraine had
been the symbol and the flaming torch
Of the oppressed. From east to west
all who believed in the liberation OF
the onpressed and in the right OF peo-
Dles to self-determination rallied TO tne
echoes of the Marne and OF Veronn'
As time passed, the circle of our sup
,orters widened. And then came the
dsmocracy of the United States. When
She entered the struggle her war aims
were indefinite, but in few weeks sue
too. understood and had a ciear coh-
ceptlon Of what she was hgntis t ~.
word went forth: We are going to hght
in Europe. Against what? Against au.
tocracy and militarism. For What!
For Justice and the liberty OF nations.
Words. mere words, answer Sne
"realists." Yes, ,7e,s mere %Sres, "r so,diers rs
stand ready to die. Words which are
a living force. Words which from
France have spread to the new worlo
and have mobilized the hearts OF the
people, without which there can be no
military mobilization in democracy:
We were fighting for our ideal and
for our frontier. America had no
frontier to defend, but she adopted
our ideal and made 1t hers.
A War of Peoples.
That Is why-be it pleasing or not,
a cause for congratulation or regret
the war Of 1914 had meaning ana an
aim of its own before any government
first day of the German aggression, II
was a war of peoples and OF nation
alities. A war for popular and ma
tional rights. Such 1t remained 10 the
very end.
The first of these declarations dates
from the 3Oth of December, 1916. 1t
is handed in the name of all the allies
to the American ambassador by M.
Aristide BRAND in reply to German
note transmitted by the neutra!s.
the principle that "the allied govern
ments are united for the defense of
the liberties of peoples" Then the
assertion. mo peace is possible until
assurances are given that reparations
will be made for the rights and lib
the principles of nationality and OF
freedom of small states will be recog-
nized, and that some settlement def
nitely eliminating the causes that
nave SO long HlcndCeu the ndtlOnS
establishes the only effective guaran-
tee for the worlds safety" The
rights of peoples, reparations, league
of nationS-such is the allies reply in
three lines.
Reply to President Wilson.
The second declaration was on the
10th of January, 1917. Again it is a
note. handed, in the name of all the
allies, to the American ambassador
by Mr.. Aristide' BRAND in reply to
a question of President Wilson's. The
principal is the same, but it is de-
fined in greater detail.
1. Restoration of Belgium, Ser
bia and Montenegro and of the
damages they have sustained.
,. Evacuation of, the invaded
Rumania with full reparations.
3. Reorganization of Europe.
guaranteed by stable regime,
based upon the respect of nation
ality and the right of all peoples,
great and small, to pursue their
economic development in full Sc
curity apd upon territorial and
international conventions guaran-
teeing land and sea frontiers
4. Restitution of provinces or
territories previously taken from
the allies by force or against the
will of the Inhabitants.
5. Liberation of Italians, Slavs,
Rumanians and Czechoslovaks from
foreign domination.
s. Liberation Of the population
subjected to the bloody tyranny of
the Turks; rejection out of Europe
of the Ottoman empire as foreign
to western civilization.
Z. The Intentions of his majesty