Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-06-04
Wednesday, June 4, 1919.
Organize, Standardizs, Advertise
and Patronize Maine products. This
slogan Of tho State Agricultural
and Industrial League is . pretty
good one for the people Of Maine to
follow.
Not the First Time

Not the First Time
The Kennebec Journal, heroically,
yet we think mistakenly, is one Of
the few papers in Maine Chat We see)
avowins its support of the mon
suosity across seas. the League Of
National. if. really. there be any
such bird. The News has very care
fully gone over all the literature. and,
with Representative Madden Of ILL
nois. who has just returned from Eu-
rope. we are saying:
To secure everlasting peace il is
necessary for the United States to
refrain from entering into any con-
tract, in advance that would almost
certainly involve US in war" My
Judgment. he said. lis that America
should not send her boys to foreign
territory for the purpose Of main
tanning foreign nations political in
te=rlty. -Bridston News.
The kennebec Journal has more
than once set out alone on a great
moral question, and to US this is most
complex Of them all. Because Of a
mage Of opportunity for honest dis
agreement it is hardly fair to de-
nominate another's convictions
folly" 1t is not matter Of per
sonal liberty" entrenched in custom,
or Of brazen greed fighting for profit.
1t is matter of human progress tri-
umphing over the ruts and excuses
of selfish governments.
1t would not matter if the Kenne-
bee Journal were the only paper in
New England. or in the country, if
convinced of the right course it
would take that stand, 'heroically"
or otherwise. and give it's reasons
We are doing just that. now. and fail
to find in such az the utterance Of
Congressman Madden or the bunk
of BorYh. any reason for changing
our views. Bald statements that the
covenant for a League Of Nations.
as it stands today. will involve this
nation in war or serious complica-
tons, against our judgment or will.
at any time. do not make it so. The
trouble with most Of the opponents
of a League OF Nations. we believe.
is that they have never carefully
studied the amended covenants or
are enslaved by previously expressed
opinions. And more, we fear. are
dominated by political considerations.
- -
our boys to foreign territory" seems
pitifully weak in the light of the
past, and Of present conditions.
Where are our boys now: Why are
they there? Would a reversion to
conditions Of June 1914. preserve us
from involvement in European war
or secure us from possibility Of moral
duty to maintain the political in
tegrity" of foreign nations?
Some men are afraid to enter into
a contract of marriage because il
might involve them in moral duties
that would be expensive. Some men
have no higher aspirations than a
bank account.
We should like to see the article
bases his claim that the covenant
would almost certainly involve US
= in war" Perhaps the cocksure state
ment might go with any Of the
masses who have confidence in Mr.
Madden, but those who read the
covenant ask more than that. His
Judgment" has less weight with US
than does that of several ADLER law.
yers and students Of international
affairs. He may be right, but until
he and others show the basis Of their
claims, and something stronger than
the idle nonsense about our boys OF
the future being called to Europe
when at the present moment we have
hundreds Of thousands Of them over
there and no prospect of getting them
home while the peace de-lay-gates
continue to fiddle.
The other thing failed. and cost US
250,000 lives and 80 billions Of dol
lars. Our splendid isolation" did
not save US from a hand in the "po-
litical integrity Of Europe. At
present we are very empatically
maintaining foreign nations polfti
cal integrity" as the result Of the
old system. Is that why the Mad
dens and Borahs and Reeds and poll.
ticians would destroy the possibilities
Of the nrst opportunity to establish
another system? Do gentlemen deny
that ANY step which BEGINS a re-