Washington Journal., 1916-11-24

E@"W" 80
through conflict Of interests. and woulc
thus rob all nations OF the hope Of as.
sured peace. Real justice requires that
the plan whereby the blessing of peace
is TO be secured for all mankind shall
be given the best chance Of success
This means that the nations entering
into the initial combination must be
strong enough; that they must be the
most democratic, enlightened and pro-
gressiye; that their interests must be
as nearly identical as possible; and that
the chance of deadlock and disruption
must be reduced to a minimum. the
chance of harmonious cooperation
raised to a maximum, by including no
o nations than are absolutely neces-
sary TO enable the combination to en-
force peace. Whoever should insist on
including a fifth nation at the very start
would actually do an injustice to the
people of that nation, by lessening their
chance of peace.
This does not mean that other nations
are to be permanently excluded; on the
contrary it will afford to them the earli-
est chance of participation in an effective
peace league. When the league of the
four great democracies has once been
firmly established, other democracies
will quickly seek and gain admission.
This, therefore, is the surest and easiest
path to a world federation which shall
not We apt to go to pieces, being held
together by the solid, preponderant nu-
cleus of the four great consolidated
democracies.
1t is also the surest and easiest path
to universal democracy, that is to say,
the rule of labor. If we believe that
democratic government is the best. and
if we are not content to adopt the poll
icy of Cain, it is our duty not only to
assure the permanence of democracy
for the benefit of our descendants, but
to give other nations the best chance to
enjoy the same advantage. The way to
do this is to reinforce our influence by
the influence of the three great nations
whose form of government most nearly
resembles our own. People whose in
terests are the same should have sense
enough to remember that 'in union is
strength" In the presence of %consoli-
dated democracy, made o~mnipotent by
union, and refusing to lend its aid to re-
dictionaries, the anti-democratic elements
of other nations will be powerless to pre-
vent their citizens from adopting demo-
cratic institutions.
For this purpose, again, the initial
combination nus 0 include more ma
tons than necessary. The edge of the
entering wedge of universal democracy
must be as thin as possible. No wood
man will try to drive a wedge with the
broad end foremost.
VIZ are told that peace is not a bless
ing unless it be peace with righteous
ness" The obvious means to fulfil that
condition is to entrust the enforcement
of peace to the most righteous, that is to
say, the best-governed great nations.
by their fruits ye shall know them"
In education, wealth, industry, COM
merce, popular well-being, the four great
democracies with the six smaller de
mocracies of Sweden, Norway, Dem
mark, Holland, Belgium and Switzer-
land) are far ahead Of the rest of the
world. They are the countries where
labor enjoys the greatest power, the
best opportunities, the highest standard
of living. By what they have done for
their W subjects, we may judge what
the four governments will do for others,
when union shall have given them the
strength to do it. When they are no
longer hampered by mutual opposition,
they will be free to decide international
questions by the sole test of the great
est good of humanity, instead of split
ting hairs over the terms of treaties
made by dead despots.
Civilized people should be civilized
enough to stick together for the benefit
of civilization.
The selection of the four great de-
mocracies implies no slur on other ma
tons. 1t simply recognizes the proven
bal fact that a dozen cooks of equal ex-
cellence will not make as good a broth
as four cooks. They are selected not
because they are thought superior in
native endowments but because under
present circumstances they are best fit
ted to make the start.
Thus the gift of eternal peace is in
Americas hand to bestow on mankind
whenever she chooses. All we have to
do is to offer our alliance to the other
three great democracies. Are our peo-
pie willing to do that?
The world TODAY is not what II w,e