The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1919-02-27

NCDA "a II LID u "A 10 ~. 81
generous welcome; it was the calling
of comrade to comrade, the cries that
come from men who say, 1--WE have
waited for this day when the friends
of liberty should come across the sea
and shake hands with US, to see that
new world was constructed upon a
new basis and foundation of justice
and right"
America Is Trusted.
l can't tell you the inspiration that
came from the sentiments that come
out of those simple voices of the
crowd. And the proudest thing | have
to report to you is that this great coun
try of ours is trusted throughout the
world.
l have not come TO report the pro
ceedings or the results of the proceed
ings of the peace conference; that
would be premature. l can say that
have received very happy impressions
from this conference; the impression
that while there are many differences
vergences Of object, there is neverthe
less a spirit and a common realization
of the necessity of setting up new
standards of right in the world.
Because the men who are in con
ference in Paris realize as keenly as
any American can realize that they are
not the masters of their people; that
they are the servants of their people
and that the spirit of their people has
awakened to a new purpose and new
conception of their power to realize
that purpose, and that no man dare
go home from that conference and re-
port anything less noble than was ex'
pected of it.
Compiexity of Task.
The conference seems to you to go
slowly; but | wonder if you realize the
complexity of the task which it has
undertaken. 1t seems as if the settle
meats of this war affect, and affect di-
rectly, very great, and l sometimes
think every small nation in the world
and no one decision can prudently be
made which is not properly linked in
with the great series of other decis-
ions which must accompany it. And it
must be reckoned in with the final re-
suit if the real quality and character
of that result is to be properly judged.
What we are doing is to hear the
whole case; hear it from the mouths
of the men most interested; hear 1t
from those who officially commission
ed to state it; hear the rival claims;
hear the claims that affect new nation
alities, that affect new areas of the
world, that affect new commercial and
economic connections that have been
established by the great world war
through which we have gone. And |
have been struck by the moderateness
of those who have represented ma
tional claims. l can testify that have
nowhere seen the CLEAN of passion
have seen earnestness, | have seen
tears come to the eyes of men who
~'oad fer downtrodden people whom
the were privileged to speak for; but
they were not ears of anguish, they
were the tears of ardent hope.
And l don't see how any man can
fail to have been subdued by these
pleas, subdued to this feeling, that he
was not there to assert an individual
jurgment of his own, but to try to as
CT tho oouca Of humanity
And in the midst of all every in
terest seeks out, first of all, when it
, reaches Paris, the representatives of
the United States. Why? Because,
and think am stating the most won
derful fact in history-because there
is no nation in Europe that suspects
the motives of the United States.
Was there ever so wonderful thing
seen before? Was there ever so NOV
ing a thing? Was there ever any fact
that so bound the nation that had won
that esteem forever to deserve it?
l would not have you understand
that the great men who represent the
other nations there in conference are
disesteemed by those who know them.
Il
Quite the contrary But you under
stand that the nations of Europe have
again and again clashed with one an
other in competitive interest. 1t is i'm
possible for men to forget those sharp
| issues that were drawn between them
| in times past. 1t is impossible for men
| to believe that all ambitions have all
| of a sudden been foregone. They re-
member territory that was coveted;
! they remember rights that it was at
! tempted to eXtort; they remember po-
| !itical ambitions which it was attempt
ed to realize-and, while they believe
| that men have come into a different
| temper, they can not forget these
| things, and so they do not resort to
one another for a dispassionate view
of the matters in controversy. They
resort to that nation which has won
| the enviable distinction of being re-
| garded as the friend of mankind.
VIrbarauar it is dacirad fO send a