The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1919-08-21
Some Lessons from History
WILLIAM E. FREELAND
Constitution or the League Which?

49,
fearful melody Of 1916, Thank Go,
for Wilson, he kept US out Of war; say
we must swallow his secretly preparet
covenant or break the heart Of the world
The love'lorn youth may be excused
for feeling he must marry the nader
Of his soufs desire 10 save her hear
from breaking but it appears to me tina
he who urges the man who has alread!
set up housekeeping to Iorsake his wifi,
and children is aiming a death blow a
the most vital Of moral and religious
principles.
America went into this war because
a brutal autocrscY was attacking oul
neighbours whom we thought peaceful
and in the process OF the struggle made
il evident that our turn for destruction
would come as soon as these neighbor;
we're beaten. Seeing our own safety en-
dangered, we entered the struggle tc
save the world for freedom and to make
the foundation Of this republic secure
against the storm.
We went into the war after Mr.. Wilson
had urged US to be neutral in the word
and thought, after he had made his
famous too proud TO fight speech
after he had said he could see no diI'
ference in the things the kaiser and
our allies were fighting for, and after he
had said there must be peace without
victory, a peace that would have left
the kaiser unbeaten. In spite ot the
soft words and dangerous policy oil MIR,
Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt BY his fear
less courage 50 reused the moral cen
science Of the United States that it
forced the president TO ride the current
he must have seen, though he chose to
let the nation driII unpIepared into the
contest.
One hundred iorty'three years ago
this nation set up housekeeping by the
people solemnly taking the constitution
of the United States as its lawfully we'd
ded spouse. To this constitution we
have been faithful and we have found
il faithful and true to US. We have
had our family differences but they
have always been ssnled outside the
divorce court Of world autocracy such
as Mr.. Wilson now demands.we accept,
Once some Of the children the people
had adopted under this constitution be-
came rebellious and we had q. rather
lively four years giving them the treat
ment wise father gives rebellious boy
in the wood shed, but like the boy they
have since seen how wrong they we're
and have been glad the job was well
done.
Other children have come 10 bless
this union Of ours until today we have
forty eight all striving forward on the
road OF national progress. Shall We for
sake this road for the sickly and rniasmic
swamps ol internalionalism1
Now Mr.. Wilson comes and says we
must sacrifice this faithful spouse who
who has served US in the days Of our
trials for a whole harem Of wives from a
collection Of ancient widows and un.
tried maiden nations Of the old world.
II he has been on wooing bent let him
take the responsibility, he had no man
date from US to bring this mixed array
Of breaking hearts under our rOot'Tee
10 displace the Constitution Of the
limited States. Last fall when he issued
instructions telling US how TO vote we
answered as strongly as we knew how,
telling him that the league he was then
proposing was not Of cur choosing,
that the Constitution Is good enough
II, Us, we need no world autocrat sit
inc in Europe and wearing the diadem
o, usurped power TO tell US what we
shall not do.
Yet in spite Of Mr.. Wilson Of bis own
arbitrary will tied up the hodge -podge
OF the world with the peace treaty and
brought it home, saying he will force US
10 take the whole unlikely crowd to
our bosom without regard for the faith
iul spouse oI nearly one hundred fifty
years. 1t is much as though you had
l.N...r,-n1 tb.s --.-