PRINCIPLES OF PEACE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 249, 16 October 1918, Page 5

PRINCIPLES OF PEACE

■MB. SPEECHES, i FOURTEEN POINTS' DEFINED. ..BASIS' OF IMPA&TIAT/ JUSTICE. RESTORING THE REIGN OF LAW. The Note addressed to the President of. the United States on. October 5, by the German Chancellor, proposed "as the basis of negotiations." the programme of general'peace set forth' by .Mx Wilson in 'his speeches of January 8 and September 27. ■On Bth- October Mr Wilson sent a Not© toPiinc6 Maximilian, in which, as : a. preliminary to a general reply, lie asked: —"Does the Imperial Chancellor mean that the Imperial German Government accepts thu terms laid down by the President in his address tp the Congress of the United States on January '8 last ,and in | subsequent addresses, arid that the ob- 1 ject of entering into dicussion would be only to agree upon the. practical details of their ■ application " 'Replying to tho suggestion- of an aiTnistice he Vrote: "The Presidfent does not feel at liberty to propose the cessation of ftrms; to the other Governments so long, tie the German armies are upon their Soil. The good faith of -any ' discussion would manifestly depend upon' the consent of the Central Powers immediately to withdraw then 1 - forces everywhere from invaded territory. The -President h-lso feels, justified in asking, whether the Imperial - Ghaiicpllbr 'is speaking merely for the /constituted' authorities of the Empire, who have eo far. conducted the war. &o 'deems the answer to these questions' vital from, eveL-y ooint' of view." - • i\Lr' Wilson's peacfe programme was set out in r greatest; detail in his message of January which he enumerated fourteen"" conditions. These, are as Jol : low • . ' . ;"' ' •' ; ' Open covenant of openly arrived at,"after which there shall bo no privato international .understandings of (any kind'but diplomacy shall- proceed i always frankly 'And in tlie public view. I Absolute' 'fi«edpm : :pf navigation upon i the seas, waters alike in peace and in" •■war; except as the seas may 'be closed'; in' whole <or in part bv international 'actioft for tlie ■enforcement of international covenants. The removal-, so far'as possible, of all economic barriers and the .establishment of an equality of. trade l conditions among, all thd nations; ftonsenting. to i-he peace°ii.nd associating themselves for its j maintenance/' ' _, . ■ • ' A.deqiiate guarantees given and taken that \ natiPnat ! will be reduced to the lowest point _ consistent with domestic', safety.

COLONIES! ANl> ALLIED' territories.

>. A free, open-minded, antC absoluely impartial"' adjustment . of all' colonial plaims, basM'upon a strict observance of the principle that.in determining all s uoh' questions of sovereignty the interests df the : populations Concerned must 'havb >qual'-'; weight • with " the equitable " claims of' in© Government whode title is to Bo determined. The evacuation of all Russian territory and, sucli a settlement of &II questions . affecting Russia as will secure the best aii'd freest co-operation of tho other nations of the world in obtaining for her an unhampered and unembarrassed opportunity 'for the independent determination of her own pplitioal lopment and: national policy 3nd' as&ure lier of a ' siiw&re ; 'iirel'col&e• '-.into 'the . aocietv of Imb nitions; mder tions 'of her .own choosing; ™d, more than a. welcome, assistance also ot. every land that slip may need and may hersfelf desire. ' The treatment accorded ■Russia by lier sister nations in the months to come will be the acid test of their goodwill, of their comprehensiijh of lier needs asV fr? m Sir own interests, an,d of their mtclligent and unselfish sympathy. _ Belgium, the whole world_ will agice, must be evacuated restored, out any attempt to limit the "' ty which she enjoys m common all other fiee nations. iNo ! act will serve as this mil serve to iestore confidence' among the in the laws which tliey have themselves set and determined 1 for the governmen | of their relations with one ainqthe£ { Without this healing act the ' structure and' validity of international, law -is forever . impaired. . .

FRENCH -AND ITALLANi CLAIMS

; All French terxitory should bo .-freed, taid; mvadqd portions restored, and the Wrong don© to by Prussia in 1871 in the matter of Alsace-Lor-raine, which has\ unsettled tho peace of the world 'for ; nearly 50 years, should he rightedi' in order that peace may l once more be. more seciire in the interest of aIL • • ' A 1 readjustment» of Wio frontiers of Italy should be effected along clearly, recognisable Jiri.es of --. nationality. XIIQ - pooplos olf : whoso place arfiong thp wisi to see safeguarded and assured, snoiuu be" .accorded £he freest opportunity of autonomous development. ißoumania, Secvia, and. Montenegro should- be. evacuated,; occupied terrilijries restored', SeryiW afcpoSTded' »Sveo ajid' secure access to the sea,. and" the. relations of', the several Balkan States to on© another , determined by friendly couhsel- along ' lines of- allegiance and c nationality* international guarantees "of the political and economic independency ana. tefritoi-ial integrity of the several Balkan "States should- be eiitered into • The Turkish portions of 'the present Ottoman Empire should bo assuiedt • a eefcure sovereignty, but the other natu'nalitiee •>. which: .are ,npv?.' under lui kibh rule should be assured an undoubted security of life and ail absolutely unmolopportunity of autonomous development, and the Bardanellps should be permanently opened as a free passage to • :tiie shins and commerce of all nations under international guarantee. ; An independent Polish Statu should be 'erected' which should include the territories inhabited by indisputably ■Polish populations, which should be assured a free and; secure access tp the seal and whose .political and oconpmic independence and territorial i^tegnity should be ' guaranteed %£, inteuiatioii.il C general association of nations niust hrf'formed under specific covenants for MW ol atedihg muW tees 6f : political independence and .tentorial integrity, to great and small States alike. . * IMPERATIVE. PIItNCIiPLES.

' The "fundamental principles" general peaeo were set forth t by MiWilson in an address to Congress on Feb the ; final settlement must, be based 'upon the - essential justice of that particular case > and' upoii sucu aajustmerits' iiis' aroTniost likely to bring a. peace , that' will be permanent. - Peoples aridiprovinces. .ireif not to- be battered about from sovereignty to sovereignty : as it they were mere chattels and pawns in- a game, even the great !<rame, now forever discredited; but "Every territorial' • settlement must he jroade in the interest and" for .the benefit "of the' 1 populations .concerned, and not as a part of auy mere adjustment or. com-

promise of claims among rival States; and

All well-defined national aspirations shall bo accorded the upmost satisfaction that can be accorded' them without ih. troducing new or perpetuating old elg; ihents of discord and' that would; be likely in time tp break the peace of Europe, and, consequently, of tho world.

END' OF ARBITRARY POWE». A further definition of the foundation* of peace was given by -Mr Wilson in his address on the Fourth of July. "There can be but one issue," ho said. "Thp settlement must be final. Tlier© can b©, no compromise. No lialf-way decision would be tolerable. No half-way decision is conceivable. Those are tho. ends for the associated) peoples of the world aro fighting and which must "O conceded them before there can be peace:—

1. The destruction of every arbitrary power anywlxere that can separately, secretly, and of its single choice disturb the peace of the worlcl; or, if'it cannot be presently destroyed, at the. least, its reduction to virtual impotence. 2. The settlement of every * question, vyhether of territory, of sovereignty, p'f economic arrangement, or of political relationship, upon the basis of the free acceptance of that settlement by 'thepepple immediately concerned, and not upon the' basis of tho material interest or advantage of any other nation or people which may desire a different settlement for tho sake: of its own exterior influence or mastery. 3. The consent of aIJ nations to ho governed in their conduct toward each other by the same principles of honour and of respect for tho common law of civilised society that govern tlip individual citizens of "all modern States in their relations with one another; to thg en<t that all promises and covenants lnqy be sacredly observed, no private plots or conspiracies hatched, no selfish . injuries wrought with impunity, and a mutual tinst established upon the handsome foundation of a. mutual respect for right.

4. .Tlio establishment of an organisation of pea co which shall it certain that the combined power of freo nations will check . every invasion of right and servo to make .peaco arid justice the.' more sepure by affording a definite tribunal of opinion ■to all must submit,' and by which everyintgrnational readjustment that canl3.pt b§ amicably agreed upon by the peoples directly concerned shall bo sanctioned. ' "These great objects can be put irito a single sentence. What we ask is the reign of law, based upon the consentof the governed and sustained by the organised opinion of mankind."

CENTRAL EMPIRES WITHOUT HONOUR. : v

The President's latest speech on the question of peace terms was'' delivere ji, on' jSeptcmbber 27. In the cour&o ot this' address, Mr. Wilson . said :—lndividual statesmen may have started the war)'but neither they nor their opponents can stop it as they please. , It has become" a peoples' war, peoples of "Ml Sorts and races of every degree are .in? volyed, arid the issues have become §uch that they must be settled by no arrangement or compromise oradjustment of interests, but definitely, onqe for all, ' and with aii •unequivocal acceptappe of the principle that tho interest of tn& weakest is qs sacred as the interest the strongest. : The Brest Litovsk and Bucharest treaties and peace agreements conyincpa us that the Governments of tlie Central; Empires arp without honour, and not not, intend justice. They observe Ho: covenants, and accept no principle but :, force aind their own interest. .They haves' made it impossible for us to come to' terms with them. If.it he, indeed, and I trust it is, tho common object of'tho ■Governments associated against Germany and the nations they gbvbrn to achieve by the coming settlement a lasting peace, it will be necessary that they all shall .sit at the peace table and shall come ready and willing to pay the price that will secure it, and /also create in some virile fashion the pnly insttu- 4 mentality by: wlijch it can. be ma.de tain tliat the agreements of peace will, be honoured and fulfilled. That..price ia impartial justice in every itpm of settle; ment, no matter whose interests o» ; crossed, . ■: \