The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1909-10-01
had placed In the Philippines an
Hawaii, and restore the American fla
with appropriate salutes.


ern sea. which had staked its hope @
advancement upon a ruthless desCen
! on an unpreparcd and apparently iw
| potent nation. 1t had spent years
| anticipation. had purchased the mos
| deadly agents of destruction when
| ever presented. had worked night and
| day In its navy yards to build gian
| ships Of war, had covered the United
| States with its spies until its espion
| age reached everywhere, and all for
| this!
Now. after all its deliberate plans
and quick action, II was to accept as
I sole cause for jubilation the return
Of the men who had manned Its mighty
fleet, and wait for the return of ships
that were useless for all purposes. It's
dream OF indemnities was gone. its
ambition for more territory was never
to be realized, and its hope of com
peting with other great powers as a
world factor had come to naught.
1t is doubtful If the government
shared in the Joy of those who had
given up for dead the ones they loved
and were now enabled to cast aside
scarfs Of mourning. The Japanese
were to learn that one successful wal
does not constitute a series, and that
all nations were not inefficient. The
lesson Of civilization had been ham
mered home with sckening emphasis
Scarcely had peace been concluded
when the administration by a declara
ton to its own people cut as with one
blow OF knife a knot which threat
ened financial panic. 1t was prefaced
with a statement that the reason why
no indemnities had been demanded
from Japan was because under altered
conditions following the war it would
be imposing hardship on a nation
already stricken, without the need
therefor. In substance it stated that
lnasmuch as there would be no future
appropriations and consequently no
taxation for navies or Notifications
vast reductions would automatically
be made In the expense Of operating
the government. 1t was also an
nounced that as the United States
bad been presented with a new form
of transportation by it's inventor, it
had set aside for him and his heirs
sufficient royalties to render them
financially independent, and that fur
thermore in the interest of perpetual
peace the secret Of the radioplane
would be maintained inviolable.
The railways of the country would
be permitted to reorganize and con
tinue as freight carriers until such
time as their rates were deemed eXor,
bitant or their charters expired, the
government abrogatng to itself all
passenger traffic within the confines
OF its own continent, and declaring
itself competitor for ali ocean trans.
portation under tariffs to be formu.
lated. 1t ended by asserting that gov.
eminent ownership of aerial transDor.
tation was not adopted at the behest
of any political party, but solely that
the people might derive the benefit
and the nation maintain its invulner
able power. Thus it was that the rail
ways were still permitted to exist and
no hardship worked save in the read |
justments of capitalization, which |
losses fell mainly upon those who had |
accumulated vast fortunes by the
very initiation which was now pune.
tured.
AS If to knit the world together in
harmony, the culmina.
ton came in a message addressed to |
all nations which was penned by the |
hand of the president himself. 1t was
his proposal for the maintenance of |
peace, and read as follows:
THAT war and its barbarisms may
for all time be done away with, the |
United States of America submits
that:
by the grace Of God it has been
placed In possession of such power
that 1t could not only conquer the
world, but destroy the inhabitants Of
other nations. This has been fully
demonstrated. 1t has no desire to util-
re its strength unjustly, but purposes
% exert it for the benefit Of all men,
ut considers territorial greed to be
he real impelling motive in nearly
Ill international wars. Therefore it
eQuests all nations become signatory
o an agreement in perpetuity that un.
Ter no circumstances shall there be
my invasion of the territory of one
country by another, and that all
lines shall remain as now
established, except they be changed
~ the mutual and amicabIe agree.
nent Of the adjoining powers to which
hey belong.
Questions involving national dig |
'itE can be adjusted by better means
han war, as can nearly all other
uestions which from time to time L
rise between governments: hence the
'nitPd 4tatcs urges that fun powers
+ adjudication and arbitration be
estcd in a standing commission repre-
pufirp parh nation which Chall I,,.., |