Gilpin observer., 1919-08-28

/
with highly educated populations and
large force of men who are capable
of government. Few. of the men who
compose these governments have had
any actual experience at governing
and their populations are woefully il
| literate.
"They will require a generation of
actual national life in peace to de-
velop free education and skill in gov
ernment
Unless these countries have a guid-
ing hand and referee in their quarrels,
court of appeals for their wrongs,
this Europe will go back to chaos.
If there is such an institution, rep
resenting the public opinion of the
world, and able to exert its authority,
they will grow Into stability We can
not turn back now.
"There is another point which also
needs emphasis. World treaties hith-
erto have always been based on the
theory of balance of power. Strong
, er races have been set up to dominate
the weaker, partly with view to
maintaining stability and to a greater
degree with view to maintaining oc-
equations and positions for the re-
actionaries of the world.
THE balance of power is born of
armies and navies, aristocracies,
autocracies, and reactionaries general
ly, who can find employment and
domination in these institutions, and
treaties founded on this basis have
established stability after each great
war for shorter or longer time, but
never more than generation.
'America came forward with new
idea, and we insisted upon Its injec-
ton into this peace conference. We
claimed that it was possible to set
up such piece of machinery with
such authority that the balance of
power could he abandoned as relic
of the middle ages. We compelled an
entire construction of this treaty and
every word and line in it to bend to
this idea.
"Outside of the League of Nations
The treaty itself has many deficiencies.
1t represents compromises between
many men and between many selfish
interests, and these very compromises
and deficiencies are multiplied by the
many new nations that have entered
upon its signature, and the very safety
Of the treaty itself lies in a court of
appeal for the remedy of wrongs in
the treaty.
Benefits Of the League.
zone thing is certain. There is no
body of human beings so wise that Il
treaty could he made that would not
develop injustice and prove to have
been wrong in some particulars As
the covenant stands today there is II
place at which redress can be found
and through which the goodwill of
he world can be enforced. The very
machinery by which the treaty is to
he executed, and scores Of points yet
10 be solved. which have been referred
10 the League of Nations as a method
of securing more mature judgment in
n loss heated atmosphere, justfics the
creation of the League.
i hnhluhn lle toNtUdnl HOW
means that tie treaty Itself will col
lapse.
1t would take the exposure OF but
few documents ut my hand To prove
that | had been the most reluctant uf
Americans to become involved In this
situation in Europe. But having gone
in with our eyes open and with de.
tf,., fp,. ,a
rest of the world from the dangers
lat surrounded us, we cannot now
pull back from the job. Ii is no use
to hold great revival ana then 20
away leaving church for continued
services half done.
"We have succeeded In most eX.
'raordnary degree In imposing upon
Europe the complete conviction that
we are absolutely dlslnterested. The
consequence is that there is scarcely
u man, woman or child who can read
In Europe that does not look to the
United States as the ultimate source
from which they must receive assur-
nnccs and guardianship In the liberties
which they have now secured after
SO many generations of struggle.
This Is not Il problem OF protecting
the big nations, for the few that re-
main can well look after themselves
What we have done is to set up n
score OF little democraces, and II the
American people could visualize their
handlwork they would insist with the
same determination thar they did In
1917 that our government proceed"