The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-05-04
WHY WE ENTERED UPON WAR

In what has been pronounced one
of the most significant public utter
ances made since it became apparent
that the United States must enter the
world war, Prof. Roland G. Usher of
the Department of History in Wash
ington University, St. Louis, Mo-, de-
clared before the American, Academy
of Political and Social Science, in
Philadelphia, the other day that the
prime purpose of Americas entry in
to this conflict was the establishment
of the International Right,
"If we entered this war upon pure
ly technical grounds" declared Prof.
Usher, eve have stultifed ourselves.
But we did nothing of the kind. We
entered the war to change the sys-
TEN itself which has produced the
technicalities and disabilities we have
suffered from. We have entered the
war against the power which pro-
poses to continue the old order, the
old logic, the old ethics and the old
diplomacy; and we have joined hands
with those powers who have striven
in army for three years to create a
new International Order based not
upon autocracy but upon democracy
upon the rule of armies and of dip
lomats by the people instead of by
kings. We have entered the war in
a fight for principles, not for techni-
calities or details"
Prof. Usher maintained that the In
ternational Right for which this coun-
try is striving is the right to be con-
consulted when basic elements in in
ternational problems are being deter
mined-the right to insist that the
international horizon shall be so
broadened that not only the affairs of
Europe but also those of America, of
Africa and of Asia shall be included.
eve are insisting" he said, "that
the definition of International Right
shall be really international in scope
and purpose; that it will define inter-
national interests in terms not eX-
clusively European, nor based upon
considerations on only European bal
ance of power and the exigencies of
European politics. The principle it.
self is the vital thing; that the Unit
ed States is a necessary element of
the international community.
In order that this country may es-
tablish this great International Right,
Prof. Usher maintains that America
must achieve something in the pres
ent conflict immediate, effective and
practical. She must make herself felt
in the achievement of the victory.
1t must not be expected, warns the
professor, that the six Great Powers
Of Europe who have been dominating
world affairs shall formally abdicate
in any way; for that would be tanta-
mount to a confession that they had
been living in sin. That would public
ly impugn their honor. But we should
be satisfied with Lloyd Georges pledge
of new order of things contained in
his speech of May IL, 1917, in which
he said: 81 can see more in the knowl
edge that America is going to win
right to be on the conference table
when terms of peace are discussed"
To win that right America must
prove herself through efficient and de-
cisive aid to the Allies, achieved by
great army based upon universal ser
vice, new merchant marine of small,
wooden ships, an extension of the mu-
milton industry and the mobilization
of our agricultural and industrial re-
sources. The days of the diplomat are
passed.; the day of the soldier, of the
sailor, of the skilled machinist, of the
farmer, is come.
Prof. Usher is the author of the
book Pan-Germanism, published sew
eral years before the outbreak of the
war, in which the German animus
and purposes and plans were concise
ly stated.