The Pulaskian., 1918-12-06

And now we are SURE of the great
triumph for which every sacrifice was
made. It has come, come in It's COM
pleteness, and with the pride and In
spiration of these days Of achieve
ment quick within us we turn to the
tasks of peace again-a peace secure
against the violence of irresponsible
monarchs and ambitious military cot.
cries and made ready for a new or
der, for new foundations of Justice
and fair dealing.
1--WE are about to give order and
organization to this peace not only
for ourselves, but for the other peo-
pies of the world as well, SO far as
they will suffer us to serve them. 1t
is international justice that we seek,
not domestic safety merely. Our
thoughts have dwelt of late upon Eu-
rope, upon Asia, upon the Near and
the Far East, very little upon the
acts of peace and accommodation that
wait to be performed at our own
doors. While we are adjusting our
relations with the rest of the world,
is it not Of capital Importance that
we should clear away all grounds Of
misunderstanding with our immediate
neighbors and give proof of the friend
ship we really feel?
81 hope that the members of the
Senate will permit me to speak once
more of the unratified treaty of friend
ship and adjustment with the repub-
lie Of Colombia very earnestly urge
upon them an early and favorable
action upon that vital matter. l be-
lieve that they will feel with me that
the stage of affairs Is now set for
such action as well be not only Just
but generous and in the spirit of the
new age upon which we have so hap
PLY entered.
so far as our domestic affairs are
concerned the problem of our return
to peace is a. problem of economic
and industrial readjustment. That
problem is less serious for us than
! it may turn out to be for the nations
which have suffered the disarrange-
ments and the losses of war longer
than we. Our people, moreover, do
not wait to be coached and led. They
know their own business, are quick
and resourceful at every readjust-
ment, definite in purpose and self-re-
liant in action. Any leading strings
we might seek to put them in would
speedily become hopelessly tangled
because they would pay no attention
to them and go their own way. All
that we can do as their legislative
and executive servants is to mediate
the process of change here, there and
| elsewhere, as we may. I have heard
much counsel as to the plans that
should be formed and personally con-
Quoted to happy contamination, but
from NO quarter have seen any gem
eral scheme of reconstruction emerge
which l thought it likely we could
force our spirited business men and
self-reliant lahorers to accept with
due pliancy and obedience.
"While the war lasted we set up
many agencies by which to direct the
industries of the country in the ser
vices it was necessary for them to
render, by which to make sure of an
abundant supply of the materials
needed, by which to check undertake
ings that could for the time be dis
pensed with and stimulate those that
were most serviceable in war, by
which to gain for the purchasing de-
partments of the government a GER
tain control over the prices of essen
tial articles and materials, by which
to restrain trade with alien enemies,
make the most of the available ship
ping and systematic financial trans
actions, both public and private, SO
that there would be no unnecessary
conflict or confusion-by which, in
short, to put every material energy
of the country into harness to draw
the common load and make OF us one
team in the accomplishment of q
great task.
But the moment we knew the ar
mistiee to have been signed we took
the harness off. Raw materials upon
which the government had kept its
hand for fear there should not be
! enough for the industries that sup
piled the armies have been released
and put into the general market
again Great industrial plants whose
whole output and machinery had been
taken over for the uses of the gov
eminent have been set free to return
to the uses to which they were put
before the war; It has not been pos
sible to remove so readily or so quick
ly the control of foodstuffs and Of
shipping, because the. world has still
to be fed from our granaries, and the
ships are still needed to send supplies
to our men overseas and to bring the
men back as fast as the disturbed
conditions on the other side of the wa
ter permit; but even these restraints
are being relaxed as much as possl-
BILE and more and more as the weeks
go by.