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The Commoner
VOL. 17, NO. 9
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17
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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
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