New Britain herald., 1919-05-27

which have united the Americas time out of mind a feeling that the world at large has accepted those princi- pies, that there has gone a thrill of hope and of expectation throughout the nations of the world which some how seems to have it's source and fountain in the things we always be- heved in. It is as if the pure waters of the fountains we had always drunk from had now been put to the lips of all peoples and they have drunk and were refreshed
 And it is delightful thought to believe these are fountains which sprang up over the soil of the Amer icas. l am not of course suggesting or believing that political liberty had it's birth in the American hemisphere because of course it had not, but the peculiar expression of it is character istic of the modern time, that broad repu blicanlsm, that genuine feeling and practice of democracy. that is becoming characteristic of the mod ern world, did have it's origin in America; and the response of the people of the world to this new ex- pression is, we may perhaps pride ourse1Ve, response to an American suggestion.
 If that is true we owe the world a peculiar service. If we originated great practices we must ourselves be worthy of them. I remember not long ago attending a very interesting meet ing which was held in the interest of com Dining Christian missionary effort throughout the world. I mean elim- mating the rivalry between churches and agreeing that Christian mission aries should not represent this, that, or the other church, but represent the general Christian impulse and prin- ciple of the world. I said I was thoroughly interested with the prn- ciple but that I hoped if it was adopted the inhabitants of the heather countries would not come to look al us because we were not our selves united, but divided; that while we were asking them to unite we ourselves did not set the example.
 My moral from that recollection is this: We, among other friends of liberty are asking the world to unite in the interest of brotherhood and mutual service and the genuine ad- vancement of individual and corpor- ate liberty throughout the world therefore. we must set the example.
 T will recall here to some of you an effort that I myself made some years ago, soon after I assumed the presidency of the United States to do that very thing, I was urging the other states of America to unite with the United States in doing som ething which very closely resembled the for nation of the present league of na- tions, I was ambitious to have the Am ericas do the thing first and set the example to the world of what we are now about to realize. I had a double object in it, not only my pride that the Americas should set the ex- ample and show the genuineness of their principle. but that the United States should have a new relation to the other Americas. The United States upon a famous occasion warned the governments of Europe that it would regard it a an unfriendly act if they tried to oyerturn free institutions in the Western hemisphere and to sub Stitute their own systems of govern ment which at that time were mimi cal to those free institutions; but while the United States thus under took of it's own motion to be the champion of America against such aggressions from Europe, it did not give any conclusive assurance that it would never itself be the aggressor What 1 wanted to do in the pro- posals to which I have just referred was to offer to the other American states our own bond that they were safe against us and any illicit ambi- tions we might entertain, as well as safe. so far as the power of the Unit ed States could make them safe, against foreign nations.
 "Of course, I am sorry that happy consumm ation did not come, but aft CT all, no doubt the impulse was con- tributed to by us which has now led to a sort of mutual pledge on the part of all the self governing nations of the world that they will be friends to each other, not only, but that they will take pains to secure each others safety and independence and terri torial integrity"