The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1918-07-11
A TINE TO ASSERT OUR MORAL
LEADERSHIP

We believe Senator Borah of Idaho,
is rendering a service OF the first mag
nitude to this country and to the
world by his proposal to discard old
practices and old methods with re-
gard to the making of treaties. The
question ought to be made national
and international issue without loss
of time, because 1t goes to the very
heart of everything for which we are
fighting, and Is vital to the enduring
character of the peace for which we
are striving. No military combina-
tons or agreements which we may
make for the prosecution Of the war
should be made public that would aid
the enemy In checkmating us In the
field; but no conceivable treaty made
at this time with any or all Of our al
lies or with any neutral country
should need the mask Of diplomatic
secrecy, unless 1t contains some fea-
ture that we fear to have criticized.
1t has been our special pride and
glory that we have played our war
game from the beginning with abso-
lutte openness, so FAR as our diplomacy
is concerned. We have had nothing to
hide at any stage; we have taken the
whole world into our confidence at
every step. The president has made
public everything he has had to say
to Germany or to our allies. He has
made point Of laying before this
country and every other country all
that he has had in mind with refer
ence to our war aims, and has invited
open discussion Of every important
policy of a national or international
character which 1t seemed to him
worth formulating or proposing.
There have been repeated evidences
that this has not been the universal
course abroad. The old diplomacy has
attempted every now and then to play
its part even amid the struggle to re-
form the evil systems which were so
instrumental In bringing this war up
on the world. The Bolsheviki took
great pleasure after they had gotten
the upper hand In Russia In publish
ing number of secret treaties which
had been made with the cars govern
ment, and which seemed to indicate
the continued existence even among
the allies Of the old bargain-and-
sales methods of diplomacy. There
were vehement and angry denials of
the implications supposed to be con-
tanned in the arrangements or conven-
tions that had been made under cover
of darkness, but the undeniable result
of these disclosures was to leave a
bad impression on the mind, to create
feeling that there were dangerous
diplomatic Inducements in motion.
There were, In the earlier hours of
the war, continuous rumors of COM
petitive bidding for Greece, for Bull
garia, for Roumania and for Italy
and 1t is possible that the secret dip
lomatic records with regard to some
of these may contain more startling
things than the Bolsheviki got hold of.
We are in this war, as the president
declares every time he speaks, not TO
get anything for ourselves, not to
make sordid deals with anybody or
for anybody, but to help to make the
world cleaner, safer, fairer for every
body. The supreme treaty that will
be made when we have beaten Ger.
many will be virtually world-treaty
and win involve questions of the
greatest difficulty, delicacy and com.
plexity. 1t may necessitate many
compromises, many adjustments NOT
arrangements that must be worked out