Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-04-01
John Sharp Williams Dis
cusseS New Obligations
Arising From Conflict and
Necessity for Sacrifice
BY SENATOR JOHN SHARP WILL


B4 SENATOR JOHN SHARP w 1A'
LIAMS
What is the position of the United
States as a government. and as a
people upon the international arena
right now? How shall it, or how
can it maintain that position? Is
the position worth while?
The first question is very well
answered by the magnificent recep-
ton that has been given to. the
England, France, Italy-wherever he
has been-not only by the spokes-
men of the governments there, but
by the people themselves, who in
lection for the American people, the
American republic and it's ideals.
The present position of the United
States in the international arena is
substantially this; it is a demand
not merely for cessation of war
in so far as the present war goes.
but termination. of all wars in
that it is all based upon the love
Of justice, confidence in mercy and
the reasonableness of brotherly love
to whip Germany; although we had
to whip her before we could do
anything else; we had to whip her
to a finish, and we had to convince
the German people that they were
whipped. We did that SO fully that
even before the German army in
it's retreat (Which in the last six
days almost amounted to a rout)
had confessed defeat. We not only
did that, but even prior to that Aus
tria had collapsed. The armies C., OF
loniki had destroyed Bulgaria; Gen
eral Allenby had reconquered Jeru-
salem for the Jews and the CHRIS
tians; the British army. had taken
possession of Mesopotamia; the TURK
in Europe had been virtually re-
moved; the Turk in Asia Minor had
had his power Slapped. Even before
the armistice came, all over the bal
ance of the world much more en-
phatically than upon. the western
ples-Arabs. Jews, Armenians, Jugo-
Slavs, Czecho-Slavs, Poles, Lithuani-
ans, Alsace-Lorrainer SchlesWlg-
Rolsteiners-why continue the emu
been to defeat the Hapsburgs and
Hohenzollerns and to make a treaty
of peace with them and with the
sultan of Turkey, none OF this would
have happened.
Position of America
The position of the United States,
summed up in one word, is the lib
Grafton of subject peoples" and tine
destruction of autocracy" and con
Quest of war" as a permanent pol
lev by temporarily making war our
selves.
Now, if the conquest of war and
autocracy and militarism is merely
temporary, we have made this war
for very little. 1 take it that in
the hearts of nine out of ten Amerl-
can boys who fought in France and
opI Pm there was a de-
sire to do this thing now in order
that it should never have to be done
again. We resorted to war to put an
end to war, if we could. We re-
sorted temporarily to universal con-
scription for military service IN
America, in order that universal
CONSUMPTION for military service all
over the world might become I'M
necessary and cease to exist.
Now, how are we going to main
tain this position? Was Uncle Joe
Cannon right when he said that 1--WE
contended for peace without victory
and now we have got victory with
out peace?" He will be right II the
cynic's views shall prevail. He will
be right if we can not make contem-
poraneously with the treaty of peace
some agreement amongst sufficient
number of respectable nations to
make terms effective which shall
render the conditions of peace per
manent, and remove, in nine cases
out of ten, the causes of war.
A great many people say they "dc
not understand what the League OF
Nations means" Of course they dc
not, because the League of Nations
has not yet been agreed upon, mol
announced; but every man not
fool knows what League of Nations
means. 1t does not depend upon how
many nations enter into it; it does
not depend upon details. 1t depends
upon these fundamental principles
First, that a sufficient number Of
nations, sufficiently respectable ant
powerful, shall willingly agree witt
the will to freedom behind them
that no civilized nation shall make
war upon another without previous