Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1919-08-28
sTATEsMAN,s STIRRING SPEECH

address in opposition to the League
of Nations Covenant. stirring"
seems rather tame word to apply
to oratory so potent in moving mems
emotions.
That speech easily passes into his
tory as one of the memorable FOR
ensic events of the upper house OF
congress. In one respect 1T is out
standing-quite alone, in class py
itself. 1t established an historical
! landmark. 1t made record, re-
cord of which the senate may not
be perennially proud, but record
none the less. For never before In
the history of the senate has
speech precipitated such an unre-
strained demonstration OF approval
as greeted Senator Lodge when ne
took his seat at the close OF ms ao-
dress; never before (and, let us
hope, never AGAIN. was or Will there
be a senate audience so moved De
yond all restraints of decorum as TO
hiss and howl down senators VINO
rose to speak in reply. Inc VICE
president, to be sure, quickly sup
pressed the disgraceful outDurst
which greeted Senator Williams
when he attempted to make himself
heard. But, none the less, both the
senator from Mississippi and the
senator from Nebraska. Mr.. Hitch
cock, were actually hooted when
they rose to take their legitimate
part in the deliberations OF the SEN
ate of the United States.
A disgraceful episode, but one
for which nobody in particular
least of all Senator Lodge, may De
held responsible. To be sure, SEN
ator Lodges address had reused MS
auditors as a senate audience has
rarely been reused before by sena-
toriai oratory. But this. we take
it-with no disparagement OF SEN
ator Lodges eloquence-was not
solely due to the words actually
spoken, virile and ringing as those
words were. The audience when
heard the senator was an audience
typical of the swiftly accelerating
tide of sentiment adverse to entang-
ling alliances, subversive of our ma
tional independence, which unee-
| niably is sweeping over the country
in more and more formdapie son
ume as the actual meaning Oh vul
adherence to Mr.. Wilson'S Versaiiles
visions is spread before the A"eri-
| can people. .,
senator Lodge voiced this senti,
ment as 1t rarely has been Voiceo
! before since the discussion began.
The response Yves instantaneous ana
precisely what might have been eA-
pected. The senate audience was
fairly swept off its feet. IL lost'
for the moment, all sense OF the DC.
casion and the proprieties. ~
whooped and roared its approval. II
hooted and howled down all oppo-
sition. In measure, II was tne
answer of the American people TO
| the presidents cock-sure assertion
that they were solidly behind him. II
was the first warning mutter OF that
impending storm with the strength
! of which Mr.. Wilson Is likely 10
become much better acquainted In
the course of any missionary travels
he may make.
The distinctive features of Sena-
tor Lodges address were, first, the
temperate, dispassionate exhipition
of arguments projected against
supporting historical background
bristling with deadly parallels; ana,
second. an inspiring virility OF true
Americanism which permeated the
| entire address and rang out in an
appeal of especially potent and per-
suasiye eloquence in the closing
sentences.
In unfolding the historical per.
spectiye which Mr.. Lodge deemed
essential to the development OF the
backbone of his argument, he was
admirably adroit. Without weary
ing his audience with dry historical
data. Mr.. Lodge traced, in swiftly
| flowing narrative, the progress OF an
international peace covenant from
its eminently respectable parentage
| to developments into one OF the
! most selfish mechanisms OF organ
ICED international despotism which
has ever cursed the world-that
wretched and altogether unhoiy
Holy Alliance.
But IL was in the stirring earnest
ness of his Americanism that the
senator struck home to the heart OF
| his audiences emotions. indeed
II would be hard to find in all the
range of American oratory words
more calculated to arouse all that is
hest in American patriotism than
are to be found in Senator Lodges
closing sentences. Demanding our
full and free liberty of action In
all international matters, senator
Lodge, for example, said:
"I believe we do not require to be
told by foreign nations when we
shall do work which freedom and
civilization require.
st think we can move to victory
much better under our own COM
mand than under the command OF
others.
LET us try to develop interna-
tional law. Let us unite with the
world to promote peaceable settle
ment of all international disputes.
Let us associate ourselves with 9TH
err nations for these purposes. But
let us retain in our own hands and
in our own control the lives of the
youth of the land. Let no Ameri-
can be sent into battle exceot by the
constituted authorities of his own
country and by the will of the Am
erican people.
will go as far as anyone in world
service. but the first step to world
service is maintenance of the United
States. I must think first OF the
United States, and when ! think OF
the United States first in an argu-
ment like this, am thinking or
what is best for the world, for II the
United States fails. the best hopes OF
mankind fail with it.
Leave her to march freely
through the centuries to come as in
the years that have gone.- Strong,
generous and confident, she has
nobly served mankind. Beware how
YOU trifie with her marvellous in
heritance, this great land of ordered