ns themselves, and not by a few diplomats. It will have to be
made in the full light of day and not in the secret and murky and
musty atmosphere of chancellories.

As a basis for any discussion on the peace settlement we would lay
down the following propositions:

1. We must take good care to retain a firm hold of fundamental
principles, and we must remain loyal to the conditions which have been
proclaimed from the beginning by the statesmen of the Allies, and
which are summed up in the primary aims, the "crushing of Prussian
militarism and the liberation of small nationalities."

2. We must see to it that none of the secret agreements which may have
been entered into by the diplomats of the Allies shall be allowed to
conflict with those fundamental principles.

3. We must realize that those principles are not particular principles
applicable only to Germany and Austria. They are universal principles,
applicable to all the Powers. "Prussian militarism" must be crushed
everywhere, in Great Britain as well as in Germany, in Finland as well
as in Alsace-Lorraine, in Italy as well as in Austria. Nationalities
must be liberated everywhere, the Ruthenians as well as the Poles, the
Jews as well as the Croatians.

4. We must realize the concrete and deeper meaning of the vague and
somewhat confusing phraseology contained in the words "to crush
Prussian militarism." To "crush Prussian militarism" does not mean
only to crush the German armies. It cannot mean to crush 100,000,000
German and Austrian people. It does not mean the repression of the
legitimate expansion of the Teutonic nations. To "crush Prussian
militarism" means to do away with a sinister political system. It
means exorcising an evil spirit. And we must clearly understand that,
in order to exorcise that evil spirit, we must have the co-operation
of the German people themselves. We must help them to achieve their
own salvation. We must take in the paradoxical and tragic fact that
the awful sacrifice of twenty nations has been mainly a vicarious
sacrifice, and that millions of our soldiers have died for the good of
the enemy as well as for the good of Europe--that they have died to
make Germany and Austria free.

5. We must realize that this war is a holy war and not a punitive
expedition, much less a predatory war. Vengeance must be left to
Almighty God. The punishment of the criminals must be left to the
people themselves.

6. Peace, if it is to be real, an