Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1917-02-02
DER|DE FEAR OF
CHINkF|ED NATION
Patriotic Congress Speaker
Raps PesSimismL
CRITIC OF ROOT KISSED
Former Senator Cenounces Germanys
Course in the War and Favors Will
sons World Peace Plan.

sons World Peace Plan.
Civil and educational aspects of pre-
paredness occupied the Congress Oh
Constructive Patriotism in Washing
ton.
The gathering is under the auspices
of the National Security League. Pro-
fessor Edward A. Steiner, of Grinnell
College, Iowa, speaking from the view
point of a naturalized American, re-
pudiated suggestions that America
could ever be "Chinafied or Prussian-
ized."
1--WE are naturally too pugnacious
for that" he said. eve are too i'm
patient with slow historic processes,
too unamenable to discipline.
"Gone is the old optimism which
made us rise every Fourth of July and
challenge the whole world to stand up
for a licking. We are now possessed
by spirit of pessimism which IS
equally dangerous, for as once we ex-
aggerated, we now are in grave danger
of exaggerating our faults and weak
nesses."
In the midst of verbal attack on
EIihu Roots appeal for universal mill
tary training, Ludwig Niffen, of Brook
lyn, was Missed from the platform by
delegates.
Mr.. Roots avowed sympathy with
President Wilson's plan to establish
world peace and his denunciation of
Germany's course in the war, express
ed in his address before the congress
were still the subjects of informal dis
cussion among the delegates. Mr..
Roots speech drew from S. Stanwood
Menken. chairman of the congress, the
explanation that the gathering is in
tended to be neutral, regardless of
expressions of Individual speakers,
who are free to say what they please"
In his speech Mr.. Root construed
Mr.. Wilson's proposal for league Of
nations for peace as meaning the for
nation of a convention under which
liberty of action would be left to every
signatory power to determine its duty
toward the maintenance of peace.
"But observe" he added, "that that
agreement is worthless, meaningless,
unless the nations that enter into it
keep their power behind it. 1t will be
a worthless agreement on our part If
we haven't a ship or a soldier that we
can contribute to the war, If war there
ought to be, or to the maintenance OF
that peace"
Mr.. Root turned also to the presi-
dents suggestion that the present war
must end in peace without vic
tory"
"Now, I sympathize with that" he
said, "but the peace that the presi-
dent describes involves the absolute
destruction and abandonment Of the
principle upon which this war was
begun. It doesn't say Serbia it
doesn't say Beglium,' but there the
chosen head Of the American people
has declared the principles of the
American democracy in unmistakaole
terms. has declared for the independ-
ence and equal rights of all small and
weHk nations, has declared for a Mon
roe doctrine of the whole world, pre-
cluding all nations from interfering
with the. Independent control of its
own affairs by every small nation;
from taking away the territory Of other
nations; from attempting to exercise
the coercion of superior power over
other nations; for disarmament, for
the reduction of these mighty armies
and navies.
"And every word of that declaration
which I believe truly represents the
conscience and judgment Of the Amer
lean people, denounces the sacrifice
of Belgium and of Serbia and the prin-
ciples npon which they were made"