The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-12-27

peace of the world shall be defeated
as a Utopian dream, God in His JUS
tice will not hold America to account
for it, o.
America, alone of all other nations,
went into the war without one single
selfish purpose, without hope of gain,
and with no other desire than to save
civilization from determination on a
far continent that we could exist
without, though the seas were to
swallow il
If, in the face of that, and in the
face Of the additional fact that we
alone among the peoples of the earth
are uncrippled and still fresh and
young and rich and strong and great,
we are willing, and even eager, to dis
arm on level with all others, to place
our peace and safety in the common
trust, from what course comes the au-
dacity of any other nation to refuse
to accept the same conditions?
The time to say these things is now.
If there are warnings to be sounded
they should be sounded today, and not
upon another day when the harm has
been done and it is too late to rem
edy it.
So, if the league of nations shall
fail of realization-what then? Why,
things will then be as they were be-
fore, and America must look out for
her self.
We shall be compelled to let Europe
go on again in the old dagger
ing way, raising men for gun, fodder,
as she has been doing ever since
knives and powder were invented.
All we can do is to set out patiently
again on the pathways of enlighten-
ment, hoping for better day to dawn
on the world in which we have borne
and shall continue to bear manly and
an unselfsh part.
We can turn again to our own side
of the world, where we have kindly
neighbors and with whom we can
strengthen the bonds of affection and
trust that exist between them and US.
1t is long way from the southern
end of Patagonia to Labrador, and it
is a road, crowded with peoples and
rich beyond the dreams of avarice.
We have been at peace with it all for
more than a century, except for one
little and quite forgotten misunder-
standing with Mexico.
| We expect and are resolved to re-
main at peace with it all for all time
to come. Our sister repubiisc to the
south and our great neighbor at the
north have nothing to fear from
America, and they know 1t.
There is already league tf ma
tons on the Western Hemisphere 1t
| is league that exists in treaties that
shall never be regarded As scraps Of
paper" but it has far stronger and
a more lasting existence in the mu-
tual confidence, trust and love that
its members bear toward one another
There is not one frowning fortress
standing between US and any Of our
neighbors, and we do not want any.
America mas plenty 10 do at worl;
that it likes if the proposed league Of
nations fails at the coming Peace Con-
ference and Europe decides that she
does no. care TO tie up with us.
At T., sar!e tine, it mus, be under
stood that e reserve the privilec
and tn. Iish' to go whc:e we please
over the broad face Of ,n4 earth, tc
sail oVr ship, on any seas. either III
peace u war, f. buy from whoever i:
willing 1. So tC US, ard to sell t.
whoever want5 10 buy Fem us. wheth.
er they b. n this side Of the eartE
or the o;,e yer it or Uuecr it.
We TN L please, We love ali tn,
world, we for God and we keep oul
powder dry.-Los Angeles Times.