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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1917)
!? Ht?' ffr 'wrfWJ?HWV1 JW(ITW .-.' fc The Commoner VOL. 17, NO. 9 w r- Hf'i 17 f groat pooplos of the central powers. God grant it may bo given soon and in a way to restore the confidence of all peoples everywhere in the faith of nations and the possibility of a covenanted PaC0, "ROBERT LANSING, "Secretary of State of the United States of America." THE POPE'S PEACE APPEAL TO THE BELLIGERENTS A London cablegram of August 16, says: The foreign oillco tonight issued the French text of the letter from the pope to the king, inclosing a cojy of Lis appeal to the heads of the bellig erent peoples. This is the letter to the king accompanying the appeal: "Your majesty, the holy father, anxious to do everything ho can in order to put an end to the conflict which for the last three years has ravaged the civilized world, has decided to sub mit to the leaders of the belligerent peoples concrete peace proposals exposed in a document which I have the honor to attach to this letter. May God grant that the words of his holiness will this timo produce the .iesired effect for the good of tho whole of humanity. "The holy- see, not having diplomatic rela tions with the French government or with tho government of Italy or the United States, I very respectfully beg your majesty to be good enough to have handed a copy of his holiness' appeal to tho president of the French republic, to his majesty the king of fi.yt an(1 t0 tne President of tho United States. I also beg to add twelve other copies which I request your majesty to be good enough to hand to the leaders of the nations friendly to the allies, with the excep tion, however, of Russia, Belgium, and Brazil, to whom the document ha been sent direct. "In expressing to your majesty my sincere thanks for this extreme kindness, I am happy to take the opportunity to offer you the homage of sentiment, a very profound respect with which I have the honor to sign myself your ma jesty's very humble and devoted servant, '"GASPARRI, "Papal Secretary of State." ,'. TEXT OF POPE BENEDICT'S NOTE August 17. The department of state ha'- received through the British foreign office a communication from His Holiness the Pope, of which the following is a translation from the French: "To the rulers of the belligerent peoples: "From tho beginning of our pontificate, in the midst of tho horrors of the awful war let loose on Europe, we have had of all things three in mind: To maintain perfect impartiality toward all the belligerents as becomes him who is tho common father and loves all his children with equal affection; continually to endeavor to do them all as much good as possible, without excep tion of person, without distinction of nationality or religion, as is dictated to us by the universal law of charity as well as by the supreme spirit ual charge with which we have been intrusted by Christ; finally, as also required by our mis sion of peace, to omit nothing, as far as it lay in our power, that couid contribute to expedite the end of these calamities by endeavoring to bring the peoples and their rulers to more mod erate resolutions, to the serene deliberation of peace, of a 'just and lasting' peace. "Whoever has watched our endeavors in these three grievous years that have just elapsed could easily see that while we remained ever true to our resolution of absolute impartiality and bene flclont action we never ceased to urge the bellig erent peoples and governments again to be brothers, although all that we did to reach this very noble goal was not made public. "About tho end of the first year of the war wo addressed to the contending nations the most earnest exhortations x and in addition pointed to the path that would lead to a stable peace honorable to all. Unfortunately our ap peal was not heeded ,and tho war was fiercely carried on for two years more with all its hor rors. It became even more cruel and spread over land and sea and even to the air, and des olation and death were seen to fall upon de fenseless cities, peaceful villages, and their in nocent populations. And now no one can imag ine' how much the general suffering would in crease and become worse if other months or, still worse, other years were added to this san guinary triennium. Is this civilized world to be turned into a field of death and is Europe, so glorious and flourishing, to rush, as carried by a universal folly, to the abysB and take a hand in its own suicide? "In so distressing a situation, in the presence of so grave a menace, we who have no personal political aim, who listen to the suggestions or interests of none of the helligerents, but are solely actuated by the sense of our supreme duty as the common father f the faithful, by the solicitations of our children who implore our Intervention and peace-bearing word, utter ing the very voice of humanity and reason, we again call for peace and we renew a pressing appeal to those who have in their hands the des tinies of the nations. But no longer confining ourselves to general terms, as we were led to do by circumstances in the past, we will now come to more concrete and practical proposals and in vite the governments of the belligerent peoples to arrive at an agreement on the following points, which seem to offer the base of a just and lasting peace, leaving it with them to make them more precise and complete: "First the fundamental point must bo that the material force of arms give way to the moral force of right, whence a just agreement of all uHon the simultaneous and reciprocal decrease of armaments, according to rules and guaran tees to be established, in the necessary and sufficient measure for the maintenance of public order in every state; then, taking the place of arms, the institution of arbitration, with its high pacifying function, according to rules to be drawn in concert and under sanctions to be determined against any state which would de cline either to refer international questions to arbitration or to accept its awards. "When supremacy of right is thus established, let every obstacle to ways of communication of the peoples be removed by insuring, through rules to be also determined, the true freedom and community of the seas, which, on the 'one hand, would eliminate many causes of conflict and, on the other hand, would open to all new sources of prosperity and progress. "As for the damages to be repaid, and the cost of the war, we see no other way of solving the question than by setting up the general principle of entire and reciprocal junation which nuum uo juuuiiieu oy the immense benefit to be derived from disarmament, all the more as one could not understand that such carnage could go on for mere economic reasons. If certain particular reasons stand against this in certain cases, let them be weighed in justice and equity. "But these specific agreements, with the im mense advantages that flow from them, are not possible unless territory now occupied is recipro cally restituted Therefore, on the part of Ger many, total evacuation of Belgium, with guar antees of its entire political, military, and econ omic independence toward any power whatever; evacuation also of the French territory; on the part of the other belligerents a similar ' restitu tion of the German colonies. "As regards territorial questions as, for in stance, those that are disputed by Italy and Aus tria, by Germany and France, there is reason to hope that in consideration of the immense ad vantages of durable peace with disarmament, the contending parties will examine in a conciliatory spirit, taking into account as far as is just and possible, as we have said formerly, the aspira ' tions of the population, and if occasion arises adjusting private interests to the general good of the great human society. "The same spirit of equity and justice must guide the examination of the othec-territorial and political questions, notably those relative to Armenia, the Balkan states, and the territories forming part of the old Kingdom of Poland, for which, in particular, its noble historical tradi tions and the suffering particularly undergone during the present war, must win, with justice the sympathies of the nations. ' "These, we believe, are the main bases upon which must rest the future reorganization of the peoples. They are such as to make the recur rence of such conflicts impossible and open the way for the solution of the economic question which is so important for the future and the ma terial welfare of all of the belligerent states. And so, in presenting them to you who, at this tragic hour, guide the destinies of tho belligerent nations, we indulge a gratfiying hope that they will be accepted and that we shall thus see an early termination of the terrible Btruggle which has more and more the appearance of a useless massacre. Everybody acknowledges on the other hand that on both sides the honor of arms is safe. Do not, then, turn a deaf ear to our prayer, accept the paternal invitation which we extend to you in the name of the Divine Re deemer, Prince of Peace. Bear in mind your very grave responsibility to God and man; on your decision depend the quiet and joy of num berless families, the lives of thousands of young men, the happiness, in a word, of the peoples to whom it is your imperative duty to secure this boon. May the Lord inspire you with decisions conforming to His very holy will. May Heaven grant that in winning thj applause of' your con temporaries you will r.lso earn from the future generations the great titles of pacificators. "As for us,, closely united in prayer and peni tence with all the faithful souls who yearn for peace, we implore for you the divine spirit, en lightenment, and guidance. Given at the Vat ican, August 1, 1917. "BENEDICTUS P. M. XV." VATICAN EXPLAINS MOVE TO END WAR (Copyright, 1917, by the United Press.) A New York dispatch, dated August 24, says: Pope Benedict, in a statement issued through the papal secretary of state and the United Press, today gave the world his views of democ racy in relation to the world war, as follows: "History teaches that a government imposed by force does not nd can not live. "Den-ocracy will receive such an impulse from the war that wisdom must prevent it deteriorat ing into excessive forms such as anarchism." The statement was in response to a request from the United Press that the pope amplify his appeal for peace with special reference to the American demand that "the world be made safe for democracy." His holiness stated that his reference to dis armament and freedom of the seas were based directly on President Wilson's appeal to the senate. He took up every point in his appeal, explaining that t was chiely basea upen the public speeches of etatoomon of the warring na tions. Rejection of the appeal, the pontiff de clared reversal of sentiments previously ex prosood by officials. He denied emphatica.ly that, it was inspired by any warring nation, thus directly replying to the statements that his appeal was made in be half of the central powers. Explaining Avhy he made no reference to dem ocracy in his appeal to the nations, the popo said he refrained because of growing views and "out of respect for the free will of the people themselves who, having- the right of universal suffrage may choose whatever form of govern ment they please." Obviously in reply to criticisms of his refer ence to Belgium in his appeal, the pontiff today declared "it is 'necessary to remark that as to condonation of damages caused by the war there is an exception applying (to Belgium)." TEXT OF POPE'S STATEMENT (By John T. Hearley, United Press staff cor respondent. Copyright, 1917.) A Rome dispatch, dated August 24, says: Tho United Press was authorized today by the papal secretary of state to make the following state ment: "The first two points in the pontificial appeal for peace, treating respectively of disarmament and freedom of the seas were suggested by Pres ident Wilson's -well-known message to the sen ate. "Consequently we are inclined to believe that they will now find on the part of the American people, the same reception that they enjoyed when President Wilson proclaimed them at the capitol. "The third and fourth points, wherein mu tual condonation, of war expei-ses and damages, as well as mutual restitution of occupied terri tories, was proposed and formulated from public speeches recently delivered by statesmen of tne different belligerent nations and from resolutions passed' by their respective parliaments. "Therefore the same statesmen can not refine them now without contradicting themselves. "Moreover it is necessary to remark, as to con donation of damages caused by the war, tnat there is an exception applying particularly w Belgium. ,nwinl "The fifth and sixth points concern specu territorial questions, about which the holy iaiu does not and could not propose any definite m ? itotmtHto