The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-04-22
NO ALLIANCE NEEDED OR ADVISABLE.

dSotS VI alliaiSS was ldue Win FRANCE lndL is
only treaty of alliance which the United States has ever
made and it not made under the existing conctitu
ton
The spirit and structure of the government of tn,
United States do not harmonic with leagues and ALI
ances. The fact is often overlooked by Americans al
differs from all Others 1t was purposely made different
its difference makes strong, and any effort to chang,
its fundamental power their limitations is an attacl
upon the stability of the government Fortunately thu
government always survives these attacks from wha
they The structure stands just as it wa
created because it is based upon truth The inventors
of political panaceas and the easy politicians who wou
trade away permanent blessings for temporary advan
tages have been innumerable They have assailcd thu
Constitution in vain. They die and their works die will
them. The Constitution remains
The United States is friendly to France than t.
any other nation The life of France will not be taken
if the United States prevent it. Yet tie people of tn
United States will not enter into an anace with France
or any other nation That fact ought to be well under
stood by this time; but if it is not, it will be duly i'm
pressed upon any any party that attempts to
bro this nation in compact binding it to perform Ger
tain things in the unkonwn future, under unknown
dtons, contingent upon the action of foreigners.
The why the United States will not enter int
an allnace with any nation is simple and clear. 1t is be
this nation can be of more service to it's friends
more damaging to its enemies when outside of an alliance
than within one.
An alliance would mean nothing unless it committed
the United States to certain action under certain con
tngences But the United States cannot advantageousy
be committed in advance to pursue any fixed course il
such an important business war This nation must be free
to DO what is best at the time it called upon to act
An alliance with France and Great Britain requiring
this nation to declare war; if either of those nations shou
be attacked might work to the utter defeat of the obec
OF the treaty President of political party and
Congress of another might lock horns and prevent an,
action whatever. The treaty might be construed as de
verng the nation to other nations whose bunders
drove them into unnecessary Or the United States
might be drawn into at the wrong time when by the
exercise Of its judgment it could have rendered fal
better service to its friends.
No foreigners be better judges than Americans
egner tell better than an American when and where
the United States deliver the most telling blow in war
TO the extent that foreign judgment enters into control
of Americas DECISIONS those decisions will be dangerously
nrm because of insufficient knowledge of American psy
choogy.
Some persons firmly believe that the United States
should have rushed into the European war when Germany
invaded Belgium They thing such course would have
saved France and Britain great losses What proof have
they? Is it not quite possible that the dsolganization re-
sutng from sudden and unexpected war would have
vented America from delivering the food and materials
which enabled France and Britain to hold Germany back?
Not men, but the instantaneous delivery of materials was
the thing then most needed and if the United States had
become involved in its preparations it might not
have been able to look after the wants of other nations
could have been in the sooner but in the meantime
France and England might have been defeated 1t must
not be forgotten that the United States for two years was
the reservoir from which France, England Russia and
their allies draw freely all the supplies they needed They
could not have done that if the United States had mmedi
atey dvred its the creation and supply of its
own armies.
No league of nations is needed to keep the United
States the side of liberty and free government No al
lance is needed to compel the United States to defend
France against Germany This nation, in its own way,
according to its own best Judgment unfetered by obi
cations made in the dark will always befriend nations
that are fighting for the principle of by the
consent of the governed If those nations cannot with
stand the attacks, the United States will itself go forward
and beat off the assaan without any treaty obligation to
do 1t will not government of the people, by the
people, for the people perish from the earth-Washigton
Post.
Just because we actually lost money by accepting sub
n nni G