THE PEACE ISSUE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 5, 1 October 1918, Page 6

THE PEACE ISSUE

IJpRESIDENT WILSON DETHE BASIS

f PRINCIPLES OF THE LEAGUE > fit NATIONS :-. ■;

I THE PRICE-IMPARTIAL JUSTICE

I s V New York, September 28. Wilson, in his Liberty Loan peeoh, said: "Individual statesmen hay have started the war, but neither Jiey nor their opponents can stop it as hey please. It has becomo a peoplo's i&v; of all sorts and races, of ivery degree, are involved. The issues lave- become such that they must be ettled by no arrangement or comproiiise or adjustment of interests, but jefinitely, once and for all, and with ull and unequivocal acceptance of the irinciple that tlio iutorest of the weakst is as sacred as the interest of the Wrongest. Tlie Brest Litovsk jnd \ Bucharest peace arrangements have convinced , us that i'he ■Goveminente of the Central Smpires are without honour. They So'ndt intend justice, they observe no bvennmts, accept no principle but'force |hd their own interest. They have mado t impossible for us to come.to terms rith them. • .' ! THE price—lmpartial Justice. . it be, in deed and trust, the comhon/object of the Governments assoiated against Germany, -and of the iations'they •govern, to achieve by the joining'settlements a secure and lasting ieace, then' it will be necessary that all yho sit at tho peace tablo shall come iwdy and willing to pay the price that nil secure it; also, to create in some 'iriie fashion the only instrumental'ty hy which it can be made certain'that ho;agreements securing the worlds jeaco shall bo. honoured and fulfilled, fhat'price is impartial justice in every tern of>the settlement, no matter whose lite'rests are crossed. That indispensjole* instrumentality is a League of Nafoiis formed under covenants that will j> efficacious. Without such instrumen-jlity-the peace of the world will rest A parE upon a world of outlaws, and Inly upon -that world, for Germany will iave to redeem her character, not by yjiat happens at the peace table, but by 'fkii follows. Such « league cannot be qrmed now. If it is ro formed, it will je merely a new alliance confined to the iations associated against a common nemy. It is nob likely it could be iorro'd after that settlement. Peace cannot !e guaranteed, as an afterthought." \:iy The Principles of Nations. ■ ![ Dealing with some of tlie particulars, Wilson declared that he spoke fitli, the greatest confidence, because ;e could state them authoritatively as he Government's interpretation of its iwn duty 'with regard to peace. These particulars were that impartial justico inist Be meted out, "and must," he "involve.no discrimination bsiween those to whom wo wish, to be ust'and those to whonvwe do not wish p be just. ;We must know no standard ;ut the equal rights of the several peoples involved. No 'special or separJte interest of any single nation or •rou'p of nations can he made thebasis if any, part of the settlement which is fijt -consistent with .the common interBt of all.' There can be no leagues .or jllianoes or'special covenants and un■erstandings. within the' general and omnion family of the League of Nαjdns: no special 'Selfish;economic comraatioiis within. the .league; and no mploymont of any form of economic ■oycott or exclusion except as the power ? economic penalty, by exclusion from he mnrkets of the world, may be vestd in the League of Nations itself as a he&ns of discipline and 'control. All Hfernatibnal treaties of every : kind jiustvbe made known entirely to the jest/of 'the world. Special alliances and jcbriomic rivalries and hostilities havo leen.a prolific source of passions, probeing war, and-it would be an iiisin'?re"and insecure'peace which did not |clude ; them in /definite and' binding ernie. Hie United States is' prepared o-assume its full share of responsibilty.for the maintenance of the common jo'venant.s and understandings whereon he peace of the worid must henceforth Wt" . . »;>;■•• Washington's Warning.. £He still read Washington's warniig against entangling alliances with uil; comprehension, but only special (rid: limited "alliances would entangle, jndj'he said, they recognised and ac[epted the duty pf the new day where-ii-.thoy were , permitted to hope for p. 'general alliance, which would avoid iutanglements. and clear the' air of the y:orld for common understandings and jhe'"maintenance' of common rights. He hade this;" analysis of the international 3 tuition which the "war had created not he/'was doubtful whether tho factor's of great nations and peoples ritlr whom we are associated were of :h'e' same minil and entertained a like. jurpose, but to clear tho air of the mist if. groundless doubtings,- mischievoUß iervcrsions of counsel, and irresponsible ■all: about peace intrigues. He strong'y ■ urged the necessity of placing the (■liolo issues' clearly and openly before jiC'peoples of the world in language Jiey- can translate, and from which they :an gather replies to questions they are ■siring. "My. one thought is to satisfy hose who struggle in the ranks, and ireV perhaps above all. others, entitled io reply whose meaning none can have ixcuse ior misunderstanding." He beI'eved the leaders of the Governments yjth which the United States was.associated will speak as they had occasion, plainly, as he tried to speak. The only ;eal peace would be an assurance which vill make a recurrence of such a struggle of pitiless force and bloodshed for •ver impossible.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.. ;■ MRJSQMH ON THE ISSUE i "THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE ' • ; / BASIS." London, September 28. Mr. Asquith, addressing the National 'liberal Federation, said: "Wo must be in our guard to see that our imeximpled sacrifices are not frittered away. They will be frittered unless we can jrocure a clean peace which does not j>fFond the conscience either of the ?ictim or the rest of mankind. We can have no clean pace if there is a conanuation of veiled war or a.peace designed to inflict permanent humiliation and dismemberment on the enemy. The Austrian Peace Note was impracticable. Flic only acceptable peace is one giving self-determination and security to all nations, large and small." It would be, said Mr. Asquith, in the highest decree undesirable to have a general oloolion during the war. An election would dissipate energy and break.up national nnity. Nothing in the war suggests that we will be better off after peace by any 'system of tariffs, preferential or differential, punitive or prohibitive. —A.US.-N.Z. Cable Assn.