Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-04-24

empire since he first entered parlia-
ment forty-three years aSo. saw to-
day the completion of one of his life
hopes. expressed under vastly differ
ent circumstances on January IS, 1896,
when he was largely instrumental In
averting war between England and
America over the Venezuela dispute.
at cannot but be-" he said that
those whose national roots go down
into the same past as ours. who share
our language. our literature, our laws,
our religion. everything that makes
nation. great il cannot but be that
time will come when they will feel that
they and we have a common duty to
perform. a common office to fulfill
among the nations of the world
MR.. BALFOUR'S STATEMENT.
While unable to grant a regular in
terview before presenting himself TO
President Wilson. Mr.. Balfour willing
" consented to say a few words as TO
his general hopes for the. conference
and the fundamental purposes behind it.
a verbatim copy follows:
All will agree that my first duty
as head of a diplomatic mission is
to pay my respects to the head OF
the state to which | have been SENT
and no public expression or opinion
on points of policy would, l THINK,
be useful or even tolerable until
have had the honor OF comforting
with your president, and learning
his views / have not come here TO
make speeches or indulge in inter
views: but TO do what | can to make
co-operation easy and effective be-
tween those who are striving with
all their power to bring about last
ing peace by the only means that
can secure it, namely, a successful
war.
without however. violating the
rule I have just laid down, there
are two things which | permit my
self to say: One. on my own behalf,
the other on behalf of my country
men in general
On my behalf, let me express the
deep qualification l feel at being
connected i'm any capacity whatever
with events which associate our
countries i'm common effort for
great deal.
GRATITUDE TO L. S. CITIZENS.
on behalf of my countrymen. let
me express our gratitude FOR all
that the citizens of the United States
OF America have done to mitigate
the lot of those who, i'm the allied
countries. have suffered from the
cruelties of the most deliberately
cruel of all wars. To name no others
the efforts of Mr.. Gerard to alleviate
the condition of British and other
prisoners of war i'm Germany. and
the administrative genius which Mr..
Hoover has ungrudgingly devoted to
the relief of the unhappy Belgians
and French i'm the territories still i'm
enemy occupation, will never be for
gotten; while an ineXhaustible
stream Of charitable efforts has sup
piled medical ard nursing skill to
the service of the wounded and the
sick
These are the memorable doings
Of a beneficial neutrality. But the
days of neutrality / rejoice to think,
are at an end; and the first page is
being turned I'm new chapter in the
history of mankind. Your president
in most apt and vivid phrase, has
proclaimed that the world must be
made safe for democracy. Democ-
racieS wherever they are to be found
and not least the demOcraCies Of the
British empire. will hail the pro-
nouncement as a happy augury. That
self-SoVerning communities are not
to he treated as negligible simply
because they are small: that the
ruthless domination Of one unscru-
pulous power imperls the future Of
civilization and the liberties o man
kind are truths of political ethics
which the bitter experience of war
is burning into the souls of all free
dom-loving peoples. That his
great people should have thrown
themselves whole-heartedly into this
mighty struggle. prepared for all the
efforts and sacrifices that may be re-
CURED to win success for this most
righteous cause is an event at once
so happy and so momentous that
only the historian of the future will
he able. as | believe, to measure its
true proportions
(Signed) / RATEOIrp