Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-06-03

on the mead In MS speech WHICH was
as follows:
Following the cessation Of hostili-
ties in Europe there will be a readjust-
ment in world affairs unparalleled In
history. The future OF Europe, OF
Asia, and Africa will be settled for
some time to come and it is incon-
ceivable that the Americas will not be
intimately affected by, If indeed they
are not included within the scope OF,
this forthcoming international con-
gress.
1--WE are apt sometimes to be blind
to the inconsistencies in our own
policy, but that does not by any means
make them invisible to others, who
perhaps may be quite as unconscious
of the beam in their own eye as we
are Of the mote in ours. Imagine Tor
an instant what our view would be IN
case American lives and property were
sacrificed in, say, China, and If Japan
in refusing to allow us to secure sat
isfaction from the Chinese government
was unwilling herself to take action.
AS we would have others do to us, SO
must we do to them. Therefore, in
stead of being too vociferOus in our
denunciation of those whom we feel
are restricting our foreign business, 1t
might be we'll for us to remember that
during the past few years British,
French and German property has been
destroyed in Hayti, Santo Domingo and
Mexico
Under the Monroe doctrine we as
sumed a benevolent guardianship over
the affairs of this hemisphere. We
have been granted comparatively
free hand to deal with these questions
because European rivalries have been
so delicately balanced that no power
dared risk dispensing it's strength in
an American adventure. On the con-
clusion of hostilities, however, the
situation will no longer exist. We
may take it for granted that we too
shall then be asked for an accounting.
We shall either have to fulfill or fore
20 the responsibilities which we nave
in the eyes of the world at least, as
sumed for the behavior of our southern
neighbors.
at is imperative that as nation we
should now, while we have yet time,
set our house in order. If we would
avoid embarrassments for the future,
or assume fresh responsibilities, our
present obligations must be recog-
nized.
1T is foolish, moreover, for us now
to talk complacently of capturing
British and German trade, because
Europe Is at war, and because the
Monroe doctrine is supposed to give
some sort of hynotic claim to the
profits of South American commerce.
We hear that the trade of the world
will be ours; that we shall supplant
London as the worlds credit center.
But we should remember that mus OF
the business upon which we are now
engaged is directly attributable to the
war, and may be greatly diminished by
it's conclusion We should not, there
fore, be lulled to a happy sleep by
siren songs. We cannot sit down ana
wait for good things to continue TO
drop, like ripe apples, into our lap
"Once the war is over 1t will not De
long before Europe. commercially ana
industrially better organized than be-
FORE will aggressively undertake to re-
coup itself for it's losses by extending
and developing it's foreign trade IN
terruption in European exports mas
made It possible to introduce Amerl-
can goods where heretofore they nave
been denied fair trial, but any ad-
yantages which we may now gain VIII
he temporary, rather than permanent
in character, unless we are able nrmiy
to establish ourselves in the markets
which, for the time being, are opened.