Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1919-07-18

ideas on the old, and some OF tn,
fruits Of the grating may, I fear, 70
a time be bitter. But, with very few
exceptions, the men who sat with u
at the peace table desired as sincerel,
as we did to get away from the bat
influences, the illegitimate purposes
the demoralizing ambitions, the inter
national counsels and expedients ou
OF which the sinister designs OF Ger
mnay had sprung as natural growth
1t had been our privilege to formu
late the principles which we're accept
ed as the basis of the peace, but the,
had been accepted, not because w
had come to hasten and assure the
victory and insisted upon them, bu
because they were readily acceded tc
as the principles to which honorabl,
and enlightened minds everywhere hal
been bred. They spoke the conscience
OF the world, as well as the conscience
OF America, and am happy to pay
my tribute OF respect and gratitude tc
the able, forward-looking men with
whom Ii was my privilege to cooper
ate for their unfailing spirit OF coop
GRAFTON, their constant effort to accom-
modate the interests they represented
to the principles we were all agreed
upon. The difficulties, which were
many lay In the circumstances, not
often In the men. Almost without ex.
ception the men who led had caught
the true and full vision Of the prob.
lem Of peace as an indivisable whole,
problem not Of merely adjustments
of interests, but Of justice and right
action.
The atmosphere in which the con-
ference worked seemed created, not
by the ambitions Of strong govern
ments, but by the hopes and aspira-
tons Of small nations and of peoples
hitherto under bondage to the power
that victory had shattered and de-
stroyed. Two great empires had
been forced into political bankruptcy,
and we were the receivers. Our task
was not only to make peace with the
central empires and remedy the
wrongs their armies had done. The
central empires had lived in open vio-
lation of many of the rights for which
the war had been fought, dominating
alien peoples over whom they. had no
natural right to rule, enforcing, not
obedience, but veritable bondage, ex-
plotting these who were weak for the
benefit of those who were masters and
overlords only by force of arms.
There could be no peace until the
whole order Of central Europe was set
right.
That meant that new nations were
to be created-Poland, Czecho Slo-
vakia, Hungary itself. No part Of an
cient Poland had ever in any true
sense become part Of Germany, or Of
or Of Russia. Bohemia was
alien in every thought and hope to
the monarchy Of which she had so
long been an artificial part; and the
uneasy partnership between Austria
and Hungary had been one rather of
interest than Of kinship or sympathy.
The Slavs whom Austria had chosen
20 force into her empire on the south
we're kept to their obedience by moth
ng but fear. Their hearts were with
heir kinsmen in the Balkans. These
we're all arrangements Of power, not
arrangements of natural union or as
ISOLATION. 1t was the imperative task
# those who would make peace and
make it intelligently to establish
lew order which would rest upon the
rec choice Of peoples, rather than
lpon the arbitrary authority of Haps-
,urgs or Hohenzollerns.
More than that, great populations
,ound by sympathy and actual kin to
2umania also were linked against
heir will to the conglomerate Austro-
monarchy or to other alien
overeignties, and it was port Of the
ask of peace to make new Rumania
IS we'll as a new Slavic state cluster
ng about Servia.
And no natural fronties could be
ound to these new fields of adjust
nent and redemption. 1t was neces-
AIRY to look constantly forward to
,ther related tasks. The German col
mics were to be disposed Of. They
lad not been governed; they had been
Exploited merely without thought of
he interest or even the ordinary HUI
nan rights of their inhabitants.
The Turkish empire, moreover, had
allen apart, as the ustro-Hungarian
lad. 1t never had any real unity. 1t
ad been held together only by pitt
ess, inhuman force. Its peoples cried
loud for release, for suecor from I'M
peakable distress, for all that the
ew day of hope seemed at last to
ring within its dawn. Peoples hith- |
rto In utter darkness were to be led
ut INTO the same light and given at
,st a helpful hand. Undeveloped
copies ready for recognition but not
ct ready to assume the full respop-
Utilities of statehood were to be CIV
n adequate guarantees Of friendly
rejection, guidance and assistance.
And out of the execution of these
reat enterprises of liberty sprang
pportunities to attempt what states
zen had never found the way before
do. an opportunity to throw safe