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Show TALKING PEACE; People-Must Concentrate on, Things Necessary to j Win the War. CHICAGO, Feb. 21. In a letter read at the congress of national serv-; ice today Elihu Root, of New York, ; honorary president of the National Security league, said that the public should bo careful not to have its attention at-tention distracted from the intense concentration necessary to win the 'war by the discussion about peace terms that was appearing in some of the papers and at some gatherings. He pointed out that there were not only no negotiations but no basis for peace negotiations. The congress, to bo hold under the 'auspices -of the National Security t league, opened a three-day session to-i to-i day with delegates present from many ' stales in the union. Amjg those on the program for addresses today was William Howard Taft, former presi-j presi-j dent of the United States. ( Russia an Example. In his letter regretting his ability on account of illness to be present at . the congress, Mr. Root said: "Lot us be warned by poor Russia's j present position. The Bolshevik! were very eloquent about peace 'without annexations an-nexations or indemnities.' and they i filled the minds of Russian soldiers and workmen with the idea to such an , extent that they stopped fighting and making munitions but when they got i to Brest-Litovsk they found what the , leaders probably knew all along that Germany had no intention of making ; any such peace. She wanted the Baltic ! provinces of Russia and she seized and proposes to keep them, and Russia, Rus-sia, having stopped fighting in favor of tho kind of peace she admired, finds herself in a position where for the j present 8he has nothing whatever to say about the kind of peace there shall be. We must bewaro of anything in the remotest degree approaching that. U. S. Mistakes Expected. "Of course there have been mistakes and shortcomings in the conduct of tho war It would be a miracle if there were not. Sincere and constructive criticism of executive conduct is a very useful thing. But wo all must be careful that neither shortcomings, or criticism tends In the slightest degree de-gree to divert or decrease the heartiness hearti-ness with which we all support and reinforce the president and his civil and military officers In carrying on this war. "I beg of you as citizens of this great republic not to let your minds bo carried from the great work we have before us,. "The object of the congress is to harmonize the morale of tho people so that loyal support may be necorded every effort put forth to nccorapllshj the speedy winning of tho war." S. Slanwood Menkin, president and founder of tho National Security league, in his address assorted that "as yet the people of the United States have not proven that democracy is the most effective form of government," govern-ment," "We have failed," ho said, "to dc-i velop in the average citizen a sense of personal responsibility for the conduct con-duct of the government, sufficiently strong to translate itself into continuous contin-uous service for the common weal." Mr. Menkin insisted that enemy aliens should not be permitted to gather gath-er in assemblages of more than five without a special permit and pleaded I for full national obligatory military training. nn |