The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-31

eminent, their love of right, their
logged tenacity OF purpose. their lofty
ideals. and their splendid ambitions.
We admire the English for what they
have dores for what they have accom-
plished III the world. for what they
have stood for; and for these reasons
1t seems TO me that at a time like this
We should counsel fully and fairly one
with the other. We should be frank.
! There is not the slightest doubt that
whatever England and America agree
upon will be lone. Their agreement
alone viii furnish all the power neces-
sary. We should have the manhood to
speak our minds, The only nation,
ment is the English nation. Why
should she? She believes 1t will do her
no rood not TO agree to disarm, 1t
VIII be but natural for her to agree to
a reasonable disarmament rather than
to contend for the maintenance Of an
unreasonable armament. Why? The
reason is simply this: That America
Is going to continue to build her navy
unless England reduces hers. II might
as well be understood now as any other
time. There is no use p~Ostponing that
question. We would be unfair and un-
just to our English friends and cousins
and brethren II we did not tell them
frankly n fairly what we propose to
do. We propose to become their
friendly rivals for trade wherever we
thA SCt II VIC pibDOGV W blOltNl NthA
trade wherever 1t goes; and If England
wishes to continue the burdensome
taxation upon her people to keep up
the great navy that she has, then
America will be compelled to build her
navy larger, 10 give her the protection
she is entitled to. While the war was
In progress her people and her press
approved President Wilson'S appeal for
disarmament. They should stand by
their admission made at that time. l
laAWV thA.F WU#tlI I% M LN-n1n Nd Ia
not the kind of a nation to go back on
her agreement, expressed or implied.
Is a League Possible?
These gentlemen say that a league
Of nations is essentially impossible; that
If such a league is formed n given the
power to tax, the power to decide what
nations shall be taken in, with an army
and navy to enforce its decisions, then
1t will become a world debating nation
or II will be simply the more productive
of wars. On the other hand, unless
such a central authority is given full
powers, II will be a meaningless organ
ization like The Hague tribunal.
Mr.. President, | do not subscribe to
this doctrine. | am one of those who
believe that 1t Is possible to form a
league that win be effective and at the
same time not put all other nations
In q state Of su~bserviency. | recognize
Il tNN hlitiCullltCs i hllO" lidl liz luoN .
great, but | have faith that this Coun-
ell, composed Of the great statesmen
from each nation Of the world, will be
able to accomplish it. There have al
ways been wiseacres in the world, Mr..
President, who have said that seeming
lY impossible things could not be done,
and yet they have been done. In COM
paratively recent times it was thought
that it was impossible ever to chain or
use the lightning, and yet now it is one
Of the most perfect servants Of man.
Less than a hundred years ago 1t was
thought impossible to send a message
by lightning, yet today the occur
Tence is so common that its difficulty
is never even thought of. 1t was once
thought to be impossible to hear out
of hearing distance, and yet today,
through the marvellous invention of the
telephone, we can hear practically all
over the world. Later on 1t was be-
licved to be impossible for messages to
be communicated WITHOUT wires upon
/ which to communicate them, and yet
today we have not only wireless tele-
graph sending messages throughout the
face Of the earth, whether on land or
sea, but we even have the wireless tel
ephone by which W. can communicate
TO airshlps thousands of feet in the air.
1t used to be thought that a heavier
than-air vehicle could never be invent
ed. It was one of the Impossible things,
and yet today, through the ingenuity of
a men not only fly through the air,
but they even fight in the air, and air
craft mas become one of the greatest
inventions Of modern warfare. And so,
MIR, President, | do not subscribe to the
impossibility of a righteous league of
peace being organizer by which wars
can be prevented in the future.
Much has been said about the SEN
ate's rights and obligations and duties
in connection with the forthcoming
treaty of peace. Some have thought
that, inasmuch as the enate has equal
rights with the president in the making
Of treaties, the president ought to have
selected one or more senators as peace
commissioners. This could have been
done, of course, but it was not essential,
Indeed, in the history of his country
of nearly 1870 years no senator has ever
been appointed "A peace commissioner
except after the, Spanish war of 1898,
and when they were appointed Presi-
dent Mckinley was charged with IN ul-
terior purpose in appointing them, 1t
was stated upon the floor of the senate
In eXecutiveAsession, as | am reliably
Informed, that President Mckinley APP
pointed these three senators in order
that he might get their votes and influ-
ence and thereby secure the ratification
of the treaty that he was DESTROYS of
making. There is no doubt about tho
senate's right to reject or amend a
treaty. The senate can reject or amend
this treaty. But will it do SO? My an
swer is that it will not. II President
Wilson sends into this senate a treaty
embodying provisions covering the five
points now objected to by Senators
lodge and Knox, namely, secret diplo-
macy. disarmament of nations in whole
or in part, no economic trade barriers,
freedom Of the seas, and a league of
nations to enforce peace without violat-
ing American sovereignty, there Is no
more doubt that this senate will con-
firm the treaty than there Is about the
existence of the United States itself.
MIR. President, as long as the var
was being fought, as long as America
was in danger, as long as the allied
cause was in danger, the distinguished
senator from Massachusetts never dis
| scented from all of the IA points as eX-
| pressed by President Wilson. Our Re-
publican friends generally upheld them,
1t was understood all the time that
Senator Lodge upheld them, but when
the war is over, when the war has been
won under the leadership of the presi-
dent. we find one OF the first of those
to criticize the IA points is the dis
| tinguished senator from Massachusetts.
| But not only did our Republican
| friends in this country Uphold Mr.. Will
sons IA points and applaud them, but
all the civilized nations of the world
%applauded them, On jan. s, 1918. the
Evening Star had an article entitled,
Held Magma Charter or future peace
President Wilson'S war aims hailed by
| press of Britain and citing the West
minister Gazette, the Evening News and
the PAN Mall Gazette.
And SO similar views were expressed
IN England by Niscount Bryce and Da-
vid Lloyd George and Premier Borden,
of Canada, and also other leading Eng
llsh statesmen, The French papers took
| the same position,
Mr.. President. what has come over
the spirit OF their dreams since the
armistice was declared There can be
but one answer The opposition to
these views of the president came from
selfish interests in Britain and in
| France. | do not believe they repre-
| sent the real thought and mind and
heart of Great Britain, | know they
do not represent the reat thought and
| mind and heart of France any more
than they represent the real thought
and heart and mind OF this great
try.