OCR Text |
Show POPE'S PEACE PLAII flOT ACCEPTABLE PRESIDENT WILSON DECLARES POWER OF THE GERMAN RULER MUST BE BROKEN. Answer to Pope Says Word of Present Ruler of Germany Cannot Be Taken as Guarantee of Anything That Is to Endure. Washington. In a note dispatched on A lgust 27, the pope's peace proposals pro-posals were formally rejected by President Wilson. The contents of the D'lte were not given to the public until 1m following night. The president's reply to Pope Benedict Ben-edict vas penned with two objects in view: First, to make it clear to the people peo-ple of the United States once more what .hey are fighting for; that neither nei-ther the United States nor any other nation can feel security or be safe while an irresponsible government with tenth-century doctrines that might makes right and twentieth-century silence to impose those doctrines continues to exist. Second, to so phrase and express the peace beliefs of America that there might be no opportunity for causing disagreement among the allied nations. In line Kith these objections the president pys special attention to the impossibility of taking the word of the German junker government for anything. Should America do so now. he points out, in effect it would only-give only-give Germaty a chance later to ignore her solemn peace pact, as she has ignored ig-nored other1 solemn conventions, and strike at the United States or any other oth-er nation which she considers to stand in her path to world dominance. And thus, insteaB of making the world safe for peuce and democracy th& way for another war of nations would be prepared. In line wilh his second object, the president carefully avoids any discussion, discus-sion, and makes only the slightest reference ref-erence to questions which naturally would not come up first at a peace conference con-ference territorial realignments, indemnities, in-demnities, damages. He says the purposes pur-poses of the United States do not need to be restated. And then, that there may be no mistake, he, in effect, gives them. And they are these : 1. Make the world secure against war. 2. No dismemberment of Germany or her allies, beyond necessary readjustments read-justments of territorial lines, that nationality rather than sovereignty rule in theformation of government. 3. No economic or trade war after the war against any people. 4. No more leagues of nations fightiqg commercial and territorial battles against each other, but a world league, based on principles of justice and democracy. 5. Settlement of disputes by arbitration arbi-tration instead of by force. 6. Prosperity through peace. |