The Irish standard., 1919-02-08

"Ihe men now in the saddle and doing the talking
in this country are not the fighting men,"
Deploring Theoretical talk and wasted time over
the development of impracticable IDEALS" and de-
claring the people would not stand any plan which
would affect the country for any internationalism.
Senator Hale said:
Now that the is won the American people
want peace, and they want it without further DELAY.
They want their boys back in this country They
want and expect their representatives at the peace
conference to close matters up lust as quickly as
can be done'
Il do not wish to decry the work of the presi-
dent, but believe his ideals are not the ideals of
the vast majority of the people of the United States
lhese ideals were expressed during the progress
OF the war and because they were not publicly
turned down by the American people or by their
representatives in congress the president considers
the american people are pledged to their fulfill
ment."
We doubt very much if the American fighting
forces or the rest of the American people who
backed them up in their glorious crusade for uni
versal liberty will accept the status which the iaun-
diced stateman from Maine imputes to them. In
ect ne lndlcts the whole American people as what
are vulgarly called welchers, buffers or cutters
tie would not have us "see it through and reap the
rich fruits OF victory in providing for the future
permanent peace of the world, but pack up our
belongings at the very earliest opportunity and
withdraw to our supposedly splendid and safe isola-
ton. 1t is not necessary to dilate on the short
sightedness of the Hale conception of our national
policy when we recall that the past few weeks have
witnessed the emancipation of such nations as Po-
land, the Czecho-Slovaks, the Jugo-Slavs, Ukrania
and some others.
Would not America be playing the part of pol
troon IT Senator Hale's two-by-four conceptions
were carried out and these newborn nationalities
were abandoned to the tender mercies of Euro0ean
diplomacy: Is it not our duty and our destiny to
stand by them until they are able to get on their
feet and gain strength enough to walk safely in
the world? To do otherwise would be to fritter
away the great advance that has been gained for
the benefit of all mankind and make vain and I'm
fruitful the immense sacrifices of life and property
that the has entailed
Like some other American publicists and poll
ticlans, Senator Hale does not seem to realize to
use the words of Bishop Gallagher of Detroit that
we are living in era, that new epoch in
the worlds history has dawned." That era it is to
be hoped, will be of permanent peace among
the peoples of the world Evidently the Maine
statesman has not fully grasped the scope and sig
hcance of American participation in that trenier-
dous conflict of contending policies For broader,
holder and more truly American apprehension of
the matter we quote further from Bishop Gallagher
Il have firm, deep conviction that America had
mission from the beginnng-to set an example of
freedom to all mankind. Before Washington's time
the idea OF government by the people had been e-
pressed, but America made it world principle And
when we abolished southern slavery we made the
equality and freedom of all men world principle
Nov it follows that if one man has no right to
enslave another. then no nation has right to en-
slave another and enrich herself from the sweat and
blood OF that downtrodden nation I believe it is
Americas destiny to rescue the enslaved nations "