Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1919-03-14
THE aiUcn DISCUSSED LEAGUE.

The League of Nations, as proposed
by President Wilson, and acquiesccd in
by the Allied Statesmen, is the cause
Of more general discussion than prob
ably any other question that has ever
been before the American people. Big
and little statesmen, crossroad poll
ticians, and professional disscnters
have had every opportunity to express
themselves on the effect, good and
bad, the adoption of the League
would have upon the American gov
eminent. Many of the inteIlectuals
of the United States Senate have seen
fit to engage in vehement dcnunciation
Of any sort Of League of Nations;
Others have deemed it their duty (somc
say for political reasons) to dispute
the fact that Mr.. Wilson's League of
Nations is other than 4 scrap of paper,
that it will have no binding effect to
produce the conditions now demanded
by the war-tired millions. Mr.. Phil
lip Gibbs, possibly the foremost war
correspondent of the present struggle,
contributes an article to the New York
Times on the League in which he says
that if the League of Nations idea
fails the world will be plunged into
anarchy, and the war will have been
fought in vain. He adds some very
illuminating sidc-lights in the article,
giving the experiences of the Eng
lish and French soldiers, what was
running in their minds during the
bitter days of the struggle, and what
they predict for the future; why the
war was inevitable, and what will be
necessary to prevent re-
curlcncc Of the terrible slaughter of
youth. Mr.. Gibbs argues that the
fabric Of our social structure is al
wrong; that there is growing hat
red of politicians, the so-ca!cd intel
lcctuals, who could not forcscc and
prevent the great catastrophe that en-
quilted the world and depopulatcd the
European nations Of its male youth
and young manhood. II is for these
reasons that the great masses Of Eu-
rope look TO the proposed League Of
Nations with hope, il not with faith
They, or we, for that matter, do not
understand by what mechanism it
can he made possible and powerful,
but they are living i'll the hope that
some arrangement will be made by
the statesmen OF the world in the in
Icrcst of the peoples whom they have
used as cannon fodder, food for guns.
Mr.. Wilson, now looked by the peo-
pies OF the European countries rs
their savior, is the father Of the Lea
que Of Nations and is using his great
powers of intellect to have the Lea
que adopted and if his own country,
the United States, should fail or re-
fuse to endorse the project, through
its congress, it will he no fault of the
President if the world is plunged into
and popular passion, born
out of the suiferings Of the war, is
given expression in revolt against cs-
Lablishcd forms OF government III "thc
mad hope that by anarchy they may
gain freedom Of their own souls and
bodies and Of their unborn children to
enjoy the fruits Of labor in larger
measure than now, and in safety
against the devastating terrors of
modern warfare" God hnstun the dav
when the great American Republic
will throw its full and undivided
weight with the President in making
Il reality of the League of Nations, and
prevent the horrors of anarchy that
are sure to come if the League is a
failure.