bitions and the political and economic designs of hegemonies, castes, and ruling classes.

The Socialists are convinced that the peoples of Germany and Austria cannot achieve their desired peace until they have discarded their present irresponsible Governments for democratic régimes, which shall include the downfall of militarism.

The declaration concludes with the statement that this must be the last of all wars, but adds the reminder that this can be achieved only if the Socialists of all parties work for the creation of a pacific Federation of the United States of Europe and the World, which shall assure the liberty of the peoples and the unity, independence, and autonomy of the nations.

Of the peace-programs prepared for consideration at the conference, one of the most interesting and important was that of the British Labor Party, which considered each point of the settlement in detail. It will be found on p. 221.

The British Socialist Party presented a statement setting forth that there is common responsibility for the war, and that reparation must be from a common fund contributed by all the belligerents; demanding the return of conquered territory, including the German colonies; and calling on the working people to intervene and end the war.

4.

Blackpool Trade Union Congress. Five days after the Inter-Allied Socialist Conference, the British Trade Union Congress met at Blackpool. It was of the opinion "that a conference held now could not be successful, and that an attempt should be made to secure a general agreement among the working classes of the allied nations as a fundamental condition of the convening of such a body. The

congress should protest against the British Government's refusal of passports to delegates to Stockholm, and demand that if an international conference should be held no obstacle should be placed in the way of the attendance of delegates." 1

A delegate, John Hill, president of the Boilermakers' and Shipbuilders' Union, urged the delegates to agree on the principal object of the war. It was unnecessary, he said, to drag Belgium into the debate, as they were all agreed that there must be an evacuation of that country and absolute independence and full reparation for it. Belgium, Poland, Alsace-Lorraine, and the Trentino, he said, were all assured of a full measure of justice in the agreed object of all the allied powers, which was the destruction of German militarism by the substitution of a German democracy. Asked if this could be accomplished by the military method, he said:

By this method it is estimated the nations have killed about 9,000,000 men who should have been the creators of a new world. The total killed and wounded of all countries in the war is greater than the total white population of the British Empire."

Free Masons on Peace Terms. An international conference, of another kind, which also occupied itself with the question of peace terms was held in Paris on August 19 by the Masons of Italy, France, Belgium, Portugal, Serbia and some of the European neutrals. The Grand Lodges of Great Britain were not represented, because they refrain from all political questions, both national and international.

The terms favored by the Masons were stated by the Temps as follows: "First, the return of Alsace and Lorraine to France; second, the reconstitution by reunion of the three fragments of Poland — Russian, Prussian and Austrian

into an independent nation; third, the independence of

1 For the earlier history of the Stockholm Conference see pp. 61-71, and 79-80. See also p. 213.

Bohemia; fourth, the liberation and unification of all nationalities to-day oppressed by the political and administrative organization of the Hapsburg empire in its various dominions, which declared themselves in favor of such a course by plebiscite." The Italian Masons urged a fuller recognition of Italian aspirations, but were not sustained. There was considerable bitterness in the Italian press over this lack of consideration of Italy's claims.

5.

The People's Council. In America too there were popular conferences, discussing peace. The constituent assembly of the People's Council for Democracy and Terms of Peace met in Chicago during the first days of September in the midst of considerable political excitement. While an inventive press was telling of speeches denouncing the President, the Conference was passing a resolution on terms of peace,1 in effect an endorsement of President Wilson's reply to the Pope, which had then just appeared.

The People's Council believes that "the more clearly it is demonstrated in this country that the American people desire a peace without conquest, without tribute, without imperialistic aggrandizement, the sooner will the reactionary rulers of Germany be compelled to yield to the powerful and growing movement in Germany in favor of such a peace." (Report of Committee on Peace Terms.) They are not alone in advocating this belief, which is a constant thesis for instance of the editorials of the New Republic.

A Conference of the American Alliance for Labor and Democracy, held under the lead of Mr.

1 See p. 231.

Gompers at Minneapolis on September 6, proclaimed the loyalty of American labor and its enthusiasm for the war.1

The Non-partisan League, the expression of political and economic democracy in the Northwest, meeting on September 19, occupied itself among other matters with the war. It urged the American Government to insist that the Allies should in common with itself "make immediate public declaration of terms of peace . . . in harmony with and supporting the new democracy of Russia." It demanded "the abolition of secret diplomacy." "The ugly incitings of an economic system based upon exploitation" and "rival groups of monopolists playing a deadly game for commercial supremacy are accused of being contributory causes of the war. Other paragraphs deal with domestic problems connected with a state of war and with economic afterthe-war reforms.2

1 See p. 235.

2 For the document as a whole, see p. 237.

CHAPTER VIII

THE POPE'S NOTE

I.

ON August 1, Pope Benedict XV addressed a note (not made public in the United States till the sixteenth) "To the rulers of the Belligerent Peoples." The note begins by defining the position of the Pope during the war his impartiality, his good will to all and speaks of his endeavors to "bring the peoples and their rulers to more moderate resolutions, to the serene deliberation" of a just and lasting peace, not all of which endeavors have been made public.

He invites the belligerents to agree on the following points:

The Pope's Proposals. (1) "The fundamental point' the substitution of moral for military force. The Pope proposes decrease of armaments, and compulsory arbitration, with sanctions or penalties to be agreed on.

(2) "Community of the Seas."

(3) Mutual forgiveness as regards damages and payment for cost of war, except in certain special cases to be considered on the basis of justice.

(4) Restitution of occupied territory, as a necessary preliminary of agreement: specifically, complete evacuation of Belgium with guarantee of full po