Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1917-07-07


again put under a terrific strain, no
nation has dared to go to war against
the award OF court of arbitration.
The stupendous possibilities that lie
in arbitration for solving interna-
tional problems, promoting liberal
principles, and safeguarding human
life had been amply. demonstrated
before the present war began.
But in the discussions at the
Hague, largely through the resistance
OF the German Empire and its safe
lites, the efforts OF our delegates and
those OF other Governments to bring
about a general treaty OF compulsory
arbitration had failed. And there
lore this nation, having been thwart-
ed in its attempt to secure general
agreement, began negotiations with
all those nations which like our own
preferred methods OF law and peace,
with the purpose OF effecting dual
arbitration treaties. And before the
end OF 1914, we had signed far-reach-
ing treaties with 80 nations, 20 of
which had been duly ratified and
proclaimed But in this work, too,
we were made to feel the same op-
position as at the Hague. For
while Great Britain, France, Russia,
and Italy cordially welcomed our
overtures, the German and Austro-
Hungarian Empires were noticebly
absent from the list OF those nations
who desired by specific agreements
in advance to minimize the danger
of war.
On the eve of the present conflict,
our position toward other nations
might have been summarized under
three heads:
/. The Monroe Doctrine.-We
had pledged ourselves to defend the
New World from European aggres-
sion, and we had by word and deed
made it clear that we would not
intervene in any European dispute,
IL. The freedom of the seas.-ln
every naval conference our influence
mad been given in support OF the
principle that sea law to be just
and worthy of general respect must
be based ON the consent of the gov
erned.
III,-As we had secured peace at
putes home by referring interstate
disputes to federal tribunal, we
urged similar settlement of inter
national controversies. Our ideal
was a permanent world court. We
had already signed arbitration treat
les not only with great powers which
might conceiyably attack US, but
even more freely with weaker neigh.
bors III order to show good faith il
recognizing the equity of all nations
both great and small. We haC
made plain to the nations our pur,
pose to forestall by every means il
our power the recurrence of war,
in the world.
The outbreak of war in 1919
caught this nation by surprise. The
people of Europe had had at least
some warnings of the coming storm
but to us such blind, savage on
slaught on the ideals of civilization
had appeared impossible.
The war was incomprehensible.
Either side was championed here
by millions living among us who
were of European birth. Their con-
Trajectory accusations threw our
thoughts into disarray, and in the
first chaotic days we could see no
clear issue that affected our national
policy. There was no direct assault
on our rights. 1t seemed at first to
most Of us purely European dis
pute, and our minds were not pre-
pared 20 take sides in such conflict.
The Presidents proclamation of neu-
trality was received by us as natural
and inevitable. 1t was quickly fol-
lowed by his appeal to "the citizens
of the Republic
Every man who really loves
America will act and speak In the
true spirit of neutrality" he said,
which is the spirit of impartiality
and fairness and friendliness to all
concerned. - 1t will be easy to
excite passion and difficult to allay
it," He expressed the fear that our
Nation. might become divided In
camps of hostile opinion Such di-
visions among US might
seriously stand in the way of the
proper performance of our duty as
the one great nation at peace, the
one people holding itself ready to
play part of impartial mdiation and
spak counsels of peace and accom-
modations, not as a partisan, but as