Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1919-05-23
The Worlds Next Step
No. 8
What Il Our Duty In Connection with
the League Of Naii0us2
BE- CLARENCE /. SPEED

IN tDhhetfioH with the league Of M
tionsY you may ask. "What have I
got 20 DO with this big world question:?
WIN any action on my part have any
Influence on the forces that are now
settling the destnies Of the world?e
Every citizen of the United States
has a duty TO perform now, in connee-
ton With the league of nations, Just
rs urgent as he had when we were att
war You did not hesitate to do your
part then just because you were only
one Of q hundred million and on the
theory that any little saving or invest
ing or working that you could do
would have little effect toward de-
feating Germany.
Every individual citizen is represent
ed in Washington by a senator You
may not know him; may never have
seen him. Nevertheless he has some
respect for your opinions; he wishes
10 win your vote once more. If he did
not respect the opinions of his con-
stltuents he would be a queer person,
for he is sent to Washington to carry
out The wishes of the majority of the
voters.
Now the United states senate Is the
body which has the power to ratify or
reject treaties. The British premier
has promised to submit the peace
treaty to parliament for It's approval,
too; but he has just had an election
ind knows where parliament stands.
When the representatives of all or
most of the other nations sign the
treaty OF peace that Is all that is nee
essary. 1t then becomes operative.
But America will not be at peace
with Germany nor will 1t be men,
Der OF the league of nations until the
senate has ratified the treaty. If the
senate should refuse to rathy 1t, we
would then be In the position of being
ct war when all the remainder of the
world was at peace, and of being out
side Of a league Of nations which en-
braced most Of the other important
countries.
as it possible" you may ask, that
the senatescould fall to ratlfy a treaty
and TINS leave Us ont In the cold? Are
We ready 10 stand alone In this fed
Grated world? Can we assume the
role OF China and build wall of ex-
elagiveness around usl'
Looked at IN that light 1t does not
seem possible; yet when one listens to
the speeches made daily In the senate
It does seem as though many senators
are TAR from ready to vote for the
treaty which contains a provision for
a league OF nations. They may believe
that they are backed by the voters. It
Is our duty az voters TO let them know
whether they are carrying out our
wishes or not.
In this series of articles there has
been no attempt to present an argu-
saent that the constitution Of the
league OF nations as II stands is a per-
feet document There very likely Is
room for many Improvements. II
there were not, 1t would be an excep-
ton 70 every other constitution ever
adop;ed-
Conditions may arise a decade or
century from now Of which we can
have no conception az thls time, any
more than the trainers Of the Ameri-
can Constitution could have foreseen
the developments OF today,
But there can be no doubt that the
world. as a whole, now disapproyes Of
wear and denies the necessity for war,
aaa that tie league Of nations as now
proposed IS sincere effort to do away
with the danger Of war.
There is every reason to believe that
lt-stands more than fair chance Of
succeeding. wlrlle it Is 50 drawn as to
present few if any perils that we have
not always had with US If It fails to
succeed.
Tie constitution Of the league does
not prevent the United States from
doing anything 1t wants to do, for the
reason that the United States has no
designs on the property of its neigh
bofs. Il does not impose any new bur-
dens upon Us comparable with the war
debt which has Just been heaped on US
through no fault or desire Of our own.
The leagne may call upon the United
States TO do It's part in governing some
Of the backward portions Of the globe
until they are ready TO govern them-
selves. This may entail some expense,
some trouble, possibly some small loss
of American lives, as in the case Of
the Philippines, but nothing in COM
parison TO the losses in men and money
sustained in our participation in what
was for us only the flag end of great
world war.
Every man must do his duty in his
own community IL he expects good
government. IL he believes in the
league of nations, 1t is his duty now to
let his representatives In the senate
know IT. If he does not, 1t likewise is
his duty to make his beliefs known.
The plain people, the world over,
are letting 1t be known that they are
against international war. Most OF
them believe that the league Of ma
tions is now the one way to prevent it.
If you so believe, you are not doing
your duty, unless you let your senator