The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-10-25
ABILITY FOR COL. ROOSEVELT.

ADUTY FOR COL. ROOSEVELT.
There are two supreme ideas before the Ameri-
can people There is the idea of the league OF
nations There is the idea of permanent prepared
ness for the United States. Why should Col.
Roosevelt try to make these two ideas fight each
other? Why should he level curse at Inter
nationalisn1" every time he lays a benedctlon on
military training? He may misead many people.
What is ''internationalism?' In practice, IN
practical prospect it is just one thing, despite all
= the Lenins and Trotzkys at home and abroad VINO
seek to give it vicious meaning. 1t IS the league
of nations And what is the league of nations
What is it's purpose? To preserve peace, yes; but
how? Everybody knows. By force. Or by the
threat of force. By preparedness
government refuses as Austria refused, TO
submit its cause to international inquiry. With
out international inquiry, without arguments con-
sidered without purposes cleared, it marches sud-
denly against it's neghbor, in raid, in the dark
Thereupon the members of the league are at once
\ on foot. At once; not two and a halt years late,
as we were against Austria and Germany, but at
once, against any outlaw, by land, by sea, by air.
What will China do? Col. Roosevelt sees this
point perfectly. China will not be on foot. She
has no foot to go on. She has no preparedness. AS
a member of the league OF nations she IS WORTH
less The outlaw, however, will march. China
will not march. III T."
Who will march on behalf of the League? What
nation will be first at the outlaws throat? There
can be only one answer. 1t will be the Roosevelt
tian nation, the nation Roosevetianly decent and
Rooseve'lianly prepared.
Internationalism and Rooseveltianism are two
49,, l,o4o
redeem the world from perpetual bondage to de-
vastating national night raiders.
What then is bothering the colonel? The colonel,
one must fear is letting himself be bothered, is
letting himself be irritated and sidetracked by
FOOLS There is no way of preventing fool from
saying that he is in favor of the league Of nations.
And there is no way of preventing him from going
on to define the league of nations as a wad Of
paper full of powwow and empty of powder But
why should the colonel accept this definition? Why
should he surrender the league to the fools? He
is endangering literally and physically endanger-
ing, his country.
This year, and next year, and the year after
next, the American people will be making up their
minds about the league of nations and about per-
manent preparedness. They will be told by GER
tain pacfSts by certain sorts of pacifsts, that if
they accept the league they can safely reject pre-
paredness. They will be told that the two ideas
are opposites.
And what will Col. Roosevelt be telling them
If he behaves then as he is behaving now he will
be strong and sympathetic in every word he
speaks about national ornaments and he will be
sarcastic and skeptical in every word he speaks
about international agreements. In effect he will
be doing precisely what those certain sorts of
pacifists will be doing. He will be putting the
league of nations one side Of the line and per-
manent preparedness on the other. He will be
telling the people that the two ideas are oppostes
But aleague is certain. 1t is sure to come. The
sentiment Of all peoples is resolved upon it. The
craftsmanship Of the allies is overwhelmingly
committed to it. And we shall be weary of war,
not Of this war, but of war as war; And we shall
be weak, even in America we shall be weak with
sacrifice. And our hearts will 20 to dreams, to
dreams Of security without sacrifice. And we may
utterly reject all genuine preparedness. And the
greatest man, responsible cor that rejection will
be Theodore Roosevelt. By helping. to make the
American people choose between the league idea
as one thing and the preparedness idea as another
he will have helped-with all his enormous