The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-02-22

Senators and Representatives, wha
the President signs the bill. No da,
was specified in the amendment.
fore it must be unwise in US to i'm
plicate ourselves, by artificial ties !
the ordinary vicissitudes of her poll
tics, Or the ordinary combinations an
collisions of her friendships, sF er
mites.
Our detached and distant situa
ton invites and enables US to pursu
different course.
why forego the advantages o
so peculiar situation? Why qui
our own to stand upon foreigl
ground? Why, by Intervening oul
destiny with that of any part of Eu
rope, entangle our peace and pros
perity in the tolls of European am
bition, rivalship, interest, humor, o.
caprice?
i" 'Tis our true policy to steer ciea,
of permanent alliances with any por.
ton of the foreign world
"This passage is not encouraging
to the advocates of international or
ganizations to compel peace among
the nations. And if not by physical
compulsion, at any rate by the pres
sure Of public opinion. we Amexicans
should, and I think do, all devoutly
desire to see peace permanently es-
tablished in the world. It must be
that in the last half CEN
tury the nations of the earth have
come into closer relations with one
another than ever before, that the
welfare of each is much more init
mately bound up with the welfare of
all than in any preceding period in the
history of the world, and that the
of universal peace is a
matter of individual concern to each
Of the family of nations, America, for
instance, being profoundly affected
and it may be endangered by wars in
Europe, Asia or Africa.
"This is change brought about by
historical evolution which, of course,
,ould not have foreseen. The tremen-
lous problem created by it has not
yet been solved. And though I pro-
'oundly sympathize with the subject
# the proposed leagues and concerts
o enforce or establish universal peace
am unable to convince myself that
ny method hitherto proposed to ac-
omplish that result will be found
either feasible in itself or desirable
or adoption by the United States.
Perhaps some progress might be
made if we focused attenti9n en the
act that every nation besides being
xclusiye sovereign over its awn teF=
itery and territorial waters has aise
pint and equal authority with every !
ther nation on the high seas, which, !
$ we say, are therefore free to all. ,
IN that actual jurdicial basis it
GEMS to me possible, and indeed prob
BILE that an international structure
light be reared for bringing together
lie nations of the world and commits
oning those with navies jointly to
aintain freedom Of the seas and to
,strain and punish any belligerent
no infringed on the rights Of neu-
ais or violated the established prin.
pies Of maritime international law.
other words, il you want to prevent
ars, naval internationalism is the
ost hopeful form Of ATTACHING the
that for the reason that
,ery nation shares with all others
int and equal sovereignty over the
gh seas"
"But this suggestion Of intsrnation-
naval cooperation for the main
nance Of the freedom Of the seas
ID the integrity Of the maritime law
nations, so far from disposing me
criticise Washington's policy Of !
,stention from participation In Eu-
pean politics, only strengthens and :
nArms my approval and admiration .
II. It IL still true that America has o
interest in the European balance of .
wer or no concern with the dynas- g
J, racial and religious struggles or =
It'll the territorial ambitions and 8
her rivalries which lead foreign 0
untries to attack one another. Eu- Y
pc has q complex Of political in t
rests which have only = remote re- ?
lion to America. And II would cor. .
|nly h most unw,sa Ter W ssatait .