Imperial Valley press., 1919-04-23

a general disarmament. / know ar
bitration can do much. I do not
wish to put into any league articles
which | believe impossible of fulfill
ment and which | believe nations will
readily abrogate. But | am so firm
a believer in the strength Of the
great peace movement that | am not
ready to back it by the argument
of fear. The United States has not
come to where she is through fear.
We have known
That in ourselves our safety must
be sought;
That by our own right hands it must
be wrought;
That we must stand unpropped or be
lald low.
We are a great moral asset of
Christian civilization We are all that
President Lowell has described as a
necessity Of the League. How did we
get there? By our own efforts. No
body led us, nobody guided us, nobody
controlled us.
American People Anxious to Do
Right.
We have just been told that we are
not lit TO be entrusted with any care
of the South American difficulties If
such arise, and therefore we must en-
trust it to some other power. | OBJ
ject to that. | believe the people of
the United tates are just as humane,
just as anxious to do right to others,
as any nation in the world. We have
icared for three Of those states, as
have already stated-San Domingo,
Haiti and Nicaragua. In every in
stance war has been stopped and civ
ilization and peace have progressed.
Of course we can guarantee them.
u did not know anybody ever said we
could not guarantee the boundaries
Of another state We have done it
here under the Monroe Doctrine, and
done it well. The Monroe doctrine
was the necessary corollary of Wash
ingtons' policy. | believe in it be-
cause l believe it protects and de
fends and guards the United State
as it has for a hundred years. 1t
does not interfere with Europe, it
does not prevent our going to the
aid of Europe, but it does preserve
peace throughout this hemisphere.
There is a LONGER record of peace
here than you can find in some other
places. And we are going TO hand
it over to d majority of other ma
tions-a body where we have one
vote. | do not say the time has not
come to do it, but | do say, Think
well about it. Consider it carefully.
May | venture parable? A man
is called on an errand of mercy. He
springs to his feet and rushes out
into the darkness. He does not
know the way. He has no light. He
falls into a trench, breaks his leg,
and the errand of mercy remains un-
performed.
Another man starts on the same
errand of mercy. He knows the road
He knows where he is travelling
He carries a light. He performs the
errand of mercy.
Understand Road to Be Travelled.
| wish to have the American peo-
pie understand the road they are
travelling. | want them to have
light, plenty of light-broad day
light; not go through a dark tunnel
of outrageous words with nothing
to see except at the end, the dim
red light of internationalism.
Let US be careful where we tread.
You are asked to exchange the gov
ernment of Abraham Lincoln, "of the
people, for the people, by the peo-
ple,' for a government of, for and
by other people. Be sure that the
exchange is for the better and not
for the worse. When we abandon, it
Ye must abandon-and if the Amer
lean people think we must abandon.
we shall abandon the teachings of
Washington and Lincoln, let us be
sure, as we enter on the road of
internationalism, that we do not 90
too far toward the sinister figures
at the other end, of Trotzky and Le-
nine.
Let US do all in the world we can
o secure the peace of the void, but
let us in this most momentous time
move slowly and take due considera-
ton Of our steps. | admit, | confess
frankly, that perhaps | speak with
some prejudice. but there is one
thing of which l have said nothing,
of which | must say one single word
before | close.
Cannot Forget America.
cannot forget America. / want
my country to go forth; | want hel
to be help to humanity, as she has
been. l have nothing but the kind
hest feelings for every race on the
face of the earth. | hope peace will
reign throughout the world | wish
my country to do everything she can
to bring about that blessed consum-
nation. She has never proved want
ing yet. She threw her sword into
the wavering scales and turned the
balance in favor of freedom and civ
ilization against autocracy and bar
barism.
cannot but keen her interests in
Nv mind. I do not wish the Repuh-
lie to take any detriment. | do not
want dangers heaped upon us that
would cripple us in the work we seek
do. would keep America as she
has been-not isolated, not prevent
her from joihing other nations for
these great purposes-but | wish her