Washington Journal., 1917-02-09

INTEREST," III the task OF uniting even the tour
most enlightened nations seem beset with al
most insuperable difficulties, it would be in
excusable folly to make them quite insuper-
able by inviting less enlightened nations to
take part in the initial combination Whoever
should insist on including a fifth nation at
the very start would do an injustice to the
| people of that very nation, by lessening their
chance of peace.
This does not mean that other nations are
to be permanently excluded OH the contrary
it will afford to them the earliest chance OF
participation in an effective peace league.
When the league OF the -Four Great Democ-
racies has once been firmly established, other
democracies Will quickly seek and gain adj
mission. This, therefore, is the surest and
easiest path to a world federation which shall
not be apt to go TO pieces, being held together
by the solid, preponderant nucleus of the -Four
Great Consolidated Democracies.
60 Would not an alliance of Britain,
France and the United States suffice?
AHssCcr. 1t would at once lead to the forma-
ton of a counter combination of at least equal
strength. Moreover, the German-Amcricans
would never consent TO an alliance of the
United States with Britain and France unless
Germany were included. By themselves they
would Of course not be strong enough to pre-
vent it il the rest of the voters were solid
in its favor, but that is not to be expected.
The vote in favor Of the alliance will COM
mand only a small majority at best; hence if
the GeTtndn-t mcTlCdHS oppose II as one man,
it is sure to be defeated. On the contrary.
if Germany is included in the alliance, the
Gcrman-Americans, by supporting it as one
nan, can almost certainly carry it. They will
! support it as one man, 1t they are wise enough
10 perceive that by opposing it they would
run the risk of robbing Germany of what
may be her last chance to assure her con-
.inuance as a great power.
Summary.
Gonna t,paot,, auo ~arta,, Ia.,at LandaJ
people told us that men would never learn to
ly. Yet how simple it was, after somebody
had shown usl In all probability the establish
ment of permanent peace will be just as
simple. Let Britain and Germany become al
les, and peace is forever secure. At present
each hesitates to become the others ally, for
fear it would mean annexation. That fear
would disappear if the United States would
offer its alliance to both. Thus by making
his offer, we can bestow eternal peace on
humanity.
The strong minded prophets who tell us that
here will always be war so long as human
nature remains what it is, do not seem to
have a very definite notion of what they are
saying. We are practically sure of perpetual
internal peace in the United States, even with
human nature as it is. Enlarge the United
States eightfold, and not only will the area
Of internal peace become eightfoid, but the
remainder of the globe will become an outer
area of peace. This, or its equivalent, is sure
10 happen, whether we will or no. Wars can
continue indefinitely only on condition that
every nation shall at some time be beaten, for
# one nation were always victorious, that
nation would become predominant over all
others and thus put an end to war, This has
been the record of history. In almost every
epoch some nation became predominant till
world dominion seemed within its grasp. Its
supremacy was lost not so much through the
strength of its enemies as through internal
/ 6tErnrd ktaH e n TIA at A@aiAaA r AZ
,entripetal and centrifugal forces has been
he consolidation of the myriads of little ma
tons OF 5000 years ago into AZ. The chance
OF disintegration of the advanced nations has
been practically eliminated by two factors:
communication and representative government.
In other words. If wars continue, the process
of consolidation will continue, uninterrupted
hereafter. by disintegration from within, till
some nation or group of nations becomes pre-
dominant and thus gains not only the assur-
ance of perpetual internal peace for the ma
Jority OF mankind, but the strength to impose
peace on the minority.
1t rests with us to say whether that consoli-
lation shall take place now, without further
war, through an act of reason. a voluntary,
common-sense alliance with our own nearest
kin, or whether it shall be left to chance, to
be finally attained through the blind volcanic
action OF more widespread, more horrible
wars; whether we are to be a member of the
dominant group or be ourselves dominated by
another group whether the dominant group
shall consist OF the freest, most enlightened.
most humane, best-governed nations, or Of
less enlightened, less humane, less democratic
nations, We have our pick now we may not
always have it. Make hay while the sun
shines. Peace, after all, is not a blessing
unless it be peace with righteousness. There
was peace within the huge Mongol empire
in the 18th century, but it was a most uR-
righteous peace, making civilized people the
helpless prey Of savages. We have the chance
now to establish the most righteous peace, by
committing the care thereof to the most civil
ided nations, whom We can unite by simply
telling them that we are willing to be their
ally. If we are too sluggish and irresomtc
to seize the opportunity, but allow things to
Drift as hitherto, there is not in the laws OF
nature any clause guaranteeing that the ma
tons which finally become dominant through
the Wild, unreasoning tempest of war or the
lottery Of diplomacy will necessarily be the
wisest and iustest Ii we wish that this should
be, we must work for il. At the present mo.
ment we can do it with a word ten years
hence we may not be able to purchase Il with
torrents OF blood and mountains OF gold.
God helps those who help themselves. II we
refuse to establish the righteous peace Of our
own choice, and II we thus incur the risk OF
having to submit 70 a less righteous peace. We.
who claim to be so wide-awake, shall lab1
ourselves as a nation Of ~sleepers.
In Benjamin Franklin's autobiography there
is a passage which ought to be Inscribed in
thrce-inch letters OF gold on a tablet behind
the Speakers chair IN every legislative hall
so that the legislators may have it before their
eyes all the time:
History IS full Of the errors Of states and
princes. Those who govern. having much Busi-