Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-02-25
WASHINGTON ON THE LEAGUE.


George Washingtons advice to avoid "entangling al
ances with foreign nations has been held by many peo
pie as advice against the forming of League of Nations
But entagng alliances in his day were those entered
into by secret treaty. those which menaced the people of
| the world instead of sustaining it.
The forming of the republic just such an expert
ment in cooperation as is the league And Washington
was not afraid of its and untredness He want
led che experiment made, knowing the underlying prin-
cpes of it sound The principles apply today
Here are two paragraphs of the Farewell Address, in
II ech the League" has been substituted for country
in two places and for union" in one Any doubt to
where the Father of His Country would stand is solved
at by reading them They might have been written
yesterday:
"Whe then, every part of the League thus feels an
immediate and particular interest in unon all the parts
combined cannot fail to find in the united OF means
and efforts greater strength greater resource proper
tonately greatey security from external danger, less
frequent interruption of their peace by foreign nations
and what is of nesmable value they must derive from
union an exemption from those bros and between
themselves which SO frequently affct neighborng
tries not tied together by the same governments, which
their rvalshps also would be sufficient to produce
but which opposite foreign alliances attachments and In
Itrigues would stimulate and embtter Hence likewise
they will avoid the necessity of those overgrown military
establishments which, under any form of government are
nauspicous to liberty and which to be regarded
particularly hostile to republican liberty In this sense
it is that your union ought to be considered as ma
prop Ol your vi
lendear to you the preservation Of the other.
'These considerations speak persuasive language
Ito every refectng and vrtuous mind and exhibit the
continuance of the League primary object of patriotic
desire. Is there doubt whether Cover nment
can embrace large sphere? Let experience solve it.
To listen to speculation in such were criminal
We authorized to hope that proper organization Of
the whole with the auxiliary agency of governments for
the respective subdivisions will afford happy issue to
the experiment 1t is well worth fair and full expert
ment With such powerful and obvious motives to uon
affecting all parts Of the League while experience shall
not have demonstrated it's impraccabity there will al
ways be to dstst the patriotism Of those who I'M
any quarter may endeavor to weaken its hands,"
Governor Henry J. Allen, one of the military strae
gsts of the M c. A. expedtionary force in France is
strenuously critcsng the army commanders for alleged
incompetence. Henry is Kansas politician endowed
with sonorous voice, such appeals to the denlzens
of the wnd-swep plains of the sunfower state, andI
consequently he is quite successful in his officeseekng
His oratorica powers combined with his military record
which consists Of selling c. A. cgarets to the soldier
boys at good profit elected him last fall There
is, however possibility that he may be wrong in his
military views and Pershng and his subordinates right
since the latter have been studying military matters fOr
years and the Kansas governor only had few weeks ex
perience in the Y NJ c. A. huts of France Still Henry
is bright kid and learns fast and the Kansans will back
him to the limit against Pershng anyone elseuntil
another popular idol with fad dethrones him in
their somewhat tickle affection.