Republicans who favored isolation, led by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, disliked the treaty's provisions for joint military actions against aggressors, even though such action was voluntary. Entertainers such as Sousa and Arthur Fields recorded some of their tunes. At the beginning of the war, Ives was against the war. Later, he became a crusader for war. The text, written by a fellow insurance man, depicts a graveyard of dead soldiers.
Ives uses several quotes of popular, patriotic songs.
Wilson's proposed League of Nations inspired Ives. This song is an interesting merger of popular, patriotic song style with Ivesian, collage style.