Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-12-26
CARDINAL, GIBBONS
 DOES MT FfAR A
 SOCIALIST NfNAtF
"Amerida'S War iciiNlty in PrOsecut- ing The War Has shown The World Tie Capacity of Our People,

Moul>. become an issue to be dreaded in the period of reconstruction and that the sense of the American worh- ing people would check any social uDheaval. He said:
 We ought to rejoice particularly on this Christmas occasion because it is the first Christmas festival in five years that we have had the happiness of celebrating in the midst of univer- sal peace, either actually attained or dawning upon us.
 And l think, too, that the eXam- pie of energy we set in the prosecu- tion of the war is q matter for re- iOicing, for il has shown the world the capacity of America and Ameri- cans We have sent to the fighting forces provisions and munitions of war in enormous quantities, we have sent billions of money and millions of men. and for this tremendous effort on the part of America, We ask so far as 1 can learn. no compensation. We ask neither an inch of territory nor & dol. lar i'll money. Our only reward is to be the consciousness of having done our duty. of having helped to make the world free and having helped to win {, just and glorious peace.
 q earnestly hope that this peace has come to stay, that we will know no more war and that in our day. and for all future generations disputes be- tween peoples will be settled, not by the sword, but by the 'voice and pen of conciliation, which are mightier than the sword
 AS for the outcome of negotiations now about to begin i'll Paris, it is hard to base an opinion. We can only hope that they will be directed by wisdom and justice, and that selfishness may be subordinated. Nations are like men. They are selfish and they oftentimes ~ let their own interests blind them to the rights of others and to demands Of fair dealing, but we may hope that in the light of what we hope is then dawning of a better day for all hu- manity, wise counsel and justice and fair dealing may prevail over the in 'terests of individual nations; and that the peace negotiations may be ended at an early date.
 ''I feel no anxiety with regard to the future of our own country. feel that We will go on, that We will make progress toward far better under standing among all our people, that our people as a whole, after their eX- periences in the last couple of years, will be of broader vision in the flu ture and of a higher courage, that the soul of the nation will be more alive and more responsive to the higher appeal. Much concern seems to be felt about the labor situation throughout the country and there are fears as to the outcome of the readjustfent l feel little troubled about that. l am sure the working people of the country are men of intelligence, and common sense they know full we'll that their condi- tion here is better than men in similar stations anywhere else in the world, and that the disposition of those who employ them is to treat them justly and generously. They know these things and they know, too, that any social upheaval would bear more heav- fly upon them than upon any other class and would hurt them more than it would hurt any other c.ass.
 "As for the spread of socialism in America, which some dread, feel no
 
 is no reason for apprehension. Eo man or set of men can raise a storm in this country, without some real grievances, and every socialist in the land, down in his heart knows there is no actual grievances about what he can justly complain, certainly no grievance that would warrant the overturning the social structure and the ruin, industrial, and of every oth- CT sort that would ensue And the working people of the country know this as we'll and l have no fear that they will be led estray by the spacious doctrines of socialism to their own un- doing.
 Fears as to the labor situation, fears about the spread of socialism and kindred doctrines do not trouble me. The only apprehension I might have would be with regard to the consolidation of control of the great public interests of the country ill the vast and wide-reaching and control tlle well-being of millions of men, such interests as the railroads, the tele- graphs as well as others. l should be sc1ry to see these things put under the direction of any federal admins tra.;on. The men employed in the in- dustries and utilities would form the preponderating interest in any admin istration and would tend to a. perpe tuati0n of power. believe in divis- ion of power and think it best for the country. ] should be sorry to see any invasion by the administrative depart ment of the government upon the rights of the other departments. The builders of our government provided for government of check and balan ces, a government in which the execu- tive. the legislative and the judicial de- rartments were kept separate and dis tnct and each department was made independent of the other."