ABSTRACT
Everyone who stops to visualize the machinery of the approaching peace congress is appalled at the intricacy of the negotiations which it will require. Nine Allies on one side, four on the other, a score of vitally interested neutrals, life, prosperity, liberty, and security on four continents and the seven seas are involved. No one supposes that the work of definition is accomplished now or could be accomplished in one note or one address. The fog has lifted only a little; only a few big landmarks are as yet visible. Just as the reply of the Allies was merely a loose statement of principle, so is the President's address. The passage referring to the freedom of the seas appears to contradict the idea of a league to enforce peace. In an organized world freedom of the seas would certainly not exist for the aggressor. The President has said that obviously we could not prevent Europeans from following this theory.
