PRESIDENT WILSON.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 October 1918, Page 4

PRESIDENT WILSON.

HIS LOAN SPEECH.

(AUSTRALIAN & N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION'] New Youk, Sept 28. President AVilson, in liis loan speech, said individual statesmen may have started the war, but neither they, nor their opponents, can stop it as they please. It has become a people’s war and peoples of all sorts and races of every degree were involved. The issues had become sneh as they must be settled by no arrangement or compromise or adjustment of interests, but definitely once and for all and with an unequivocal acceptance of the principle that the interests of the weakest are as sacred as the interests of the strongest. The Brest Litovsk and Bucharest treaties and peace agreements had convinced ns that the Governments of the Central Bmp ires are without honour, and do not intend justice. They observe no covenants and accept no principle but force, and their own interest. They have made it impossible for us to come to terms/ with them. J.f it be, indeed and it is, the common object of the Governments associated against Germany and the nations they govern to achieve, by coming to a settlement to secure a lasting peace, if will be necessary th.it thev all sit at a peace table ana shall come ready and willing to pay the price that will secure it and also create, in some virile fashion, the only instrumentality whereby it can be made certain, that the agreements of peace will be honoured and fulfilled and that the price is impartial justice in every item of the settlement, no matter whose interests are crossed. That is the indispensable instrumentality in a league of nations to be formed under covenants that will be efficacious. Witliont such instrumentality the peace of the world will rest in peace npon a world of outlaws and only upon that world, for Germany will have to redeem her character, not by what, happens at the peace table, but by what folio.vs. Such a league cannot be formed. Ir so formed it would be really a new alliance confined to nations associated against the common enemy. Tt is Lot likely it could be formed after that settlement. Peace cannot be guaranteed as an afterthought.

Dealing with some particulars, Mr Wilson declared he spoke with the greatest confidence. He could state them authoritatively as Government’s interpretation of its own duty in regard to peace. . These particulars were—lmpartial justice meted must, involve no discrimination to whom we wish to be just and to those whom we do not wish to he just, must know no standard, but eqnd rights of the several people involved. No special or separate interest of any single nation or group of nations can he made the basis of any part of the settlement that comes within the common interest of all. There can he no leagues or alliance or special Government and understanding within the renewal of the common family of the league of nations, or a special selfish economic combination within the league, and not employment in any form of economic boycott or inclusion, except as the poorer of economic penalty by exclusion from the nations of the world may Ire vested in league nations itself, as means of discipline and control. International treaties of every kind must be made known entirely to the rest of the world. Special allianced, economic rivalries and hostilities have been a prolific source of passions producing war. It would be an insincere and insecure peace which did not exclude them in definite binding terms. United States was prepared to assume its full share of responsibility for the maintenance of common covenants and the understanding whereon peace henceforth must rest. They could still read Washington’s warning against entangling alliances with full comprehension, but onty special and limited alliance would entangle, and we recognise and accept the duty of the new days in which we are permitted to hope for general alliance, which will avoid entanglements and clear the air of the world for a common understanding and maintenance of common riots. He made this analysis of the international situation which the war had created, not because be was doubtful whether the leaders of the great nations and people with whom we are associated were of the same mind and entertained a like purpose, but to clear the air of mist and groundless donbtings and mischievions perversions of council and irresponsible talk about peace intrigue.

Mr Wilson then strongly urged the necessity of placing the whole issues clearly and openly before the peoples of the world in language they can translate and from which they can gather replies to the questions they are asking, adding—“ My one thought is to satisfy those who struggle in the ranks and are perhaps above all others entitled to a reply, whose meaning none can have an excuse for misunderstanding. He believed the leaders of the Governments with which United States was associated would speak as they had occasion, as plainly as lie had tried to speak. Only a real peace would be an assurance which would make a recurrence of such a struggle of pitiless force and bloodshed, now impossible.