The Washington herald., 1919-07-11

end in a mere victory of arms
and new balance. The mons
ter that had resorted to arms
must be put in chains that
could not be broken. The unit
ed power of free nations must
put a stop to aggression. and
the world must be given peace.
III there was not the will or the
intelligence to accomplish that
now, there must be another and
a final war and the world must
be swept clean of every power
that could renew the terror.
League Mankind's Hope.
The league of nations was not
merely an instrument to adjust
and remedy old wrongs under a
new treaty of peace: 1t was the
only hope OF mankind. Again ana
again had the demon of war been
cast out of the house of the peo-
Piles and the house swept clean
by a treaty of peace. only to pre-
pare time when he would enter
II again with spirits worse than
himself. The house must now be
d
against all such. Convenient, in
deed indispensable, as statesmen
found the newly planned league or
nations-to be for the execution of
present plans of peace and repara-
tion. they saw 1t in a new aspect
before their work was finished.
They saw 1t as the main object
OF the peace. as the only thing
that could complete II or make IL
worth while. They saw it as the
hope of the world. and that hope
they did not dare to disappoint.
Shall we or any other free people
hesitate TO accept this great duty?
Dare We reject it and break the
heart Of the world?
And so the result Of the confer
ence of peace. so far as Germany
is concerned, stands complete.
The difficulties encountered were
very many. Sometimes they
seemed insuperable. 1t was i'm
possible to accommodate the in
terests of so great a body of ma
tions-interests which directly or
indirectly affected almost every
nation in the world-without many
minor compromises. The treaty.
as a result. is not exactly what
We would have written.
Results Benr Test.
1t is probably not what any
one of the national delegations
would have written. But results
were worked out which on the
whole bear test. / think that il
will be found that the comprom-
Uses which were accepted as in
evitable nowhere cut to the heart
of any principle. The work OF
the conference squares. as
whole, with the principles agreed
upon as the basis of the peace as
well as with the practical pos
sibilities of the international sit
uations which had to be faced
and dealt,with as facts.
] shall presently have occasion
to lay before you a special treaty
with France. whose object is the
temporary protection of France
from unprovoked aggression by
the power with whom this treaty
of peace has been negotiated.
Its terms link ii with this treaty.
/ take the liberty. however. of
reserving il for special explica-
ton on another occasion.
q. S. Object in War.
The role which America was to
play in the conference seemed de-
termined, as have said, before my
colleagues and / got to Paris
termined by the universal ex-
pectations of the nations whose
representatives, drawn from all
quarters of the globe, we were to
deal with. 1t was universally
recognized that America had en-
tered the war to promote no pri-
. vate or peculiar interest of her
own, but only as the champion of
rights which she was glad to share
with free men and lovers OF justice
everywhere. We had formulated
the principles upon which the
settlement was to be made-the
principles upon which the armistice
had been agreed to and the parleys
of peace undertaken-and no one
doubted that our desire was to see
the treaty of peace formulated
along the actual lines of those
principles - and desired nothing
else. We were welcomed as dis
interested friends. We were re-
sorted to as arbiters in many a
difficult matter.
Q. s. Aid Indispensable.
1t was recognized that our ma
terial aid would be indispensable
in the days to come. when indus
try and credit would have to be
brought back to their normal OPP
Grafton again and communities
beaten to the ground assisted to
their feet once more. and it was
taken for granted. l am proud to
say, that we would play the help
full friend in these things as in all
others without prejudice or favor
We were generously accepted as
the unaffected champions of what
was right. It was a very respon-
sible role to play; but 1 am happy
to report that the fine group Of
Americans who helped with their
expert advice in each part of the
varied settlements sought in every
transaction to justify the high
confidence reposed in them.
And that confidence, it seems to
me, is the measure of our oppor-
tunity and of our duty in the days
to come. in which the new hope Of
the peoples of the world Is to be
fulfilled or disappointed. The fact