New-York tribune., 1919-01-17

rose that council had the power to
take into its own hands an effort, first,
to inquire as to what the trouble be-
an effort at conciliation; third to bring
about arbitration. if possible; fourth
to call upon the nations to encompass
the delinquent and make it's social and
economic life impossible, and, fifth, as
last resort, to bring about war
"The first thing that that council
would do would be to declare upon
Taper Just what the rules arc that
govern between those nations which
nations would agree. upon, not the ma
chinery, but the principles-wha the
law is. Then there should be estab-
lshed court that could decide
whether there had been violation of
the compact that had been entered into
by all the nations. That would not
bind us if we went into it to accept
anything except that which was
brought back, and which we approved
of.
Second, Court
First then, a council which would
declare what The rules of the game
rules are now; second, the court. that
could enforce those rules. That is not
unreasonable; that is not visionary;
that Is not j dream.
"How are they to be enforced? I
have suggested that to you They are
to be enforced, first, by the pressure
Of the nations of the world, ard don't
belittle that. In these days of news
papers and tclegraphs, of merchants
~ lot oj |.
ganizations-and there are $4,000 diff
ferent organizations in the United
States to-day-in these days of organi-
zatlons, when opinion can be quickly
crystallzed. opinion is not to be houted
as matter Of coersion.
Then as body the inquiry could
be made and the facts ascertained upon
which that opinion could act. Then if
arbitration were brought about, the
parties to that arbitration would be
bound to submit, in the first instance,
which did not involve national indie
pendence, did not involve their integ-
rity. They would be bound to submit
those questions to the public of the
world. and before that pulic they would
be ludSed
What Could Be Done
lake any country that you please
in your mind and let me picture what
might happen to it,. We could put
circle around that country, cut off
every postal combination so that no
letters could go in or out, cut off every
Dill OF exchange, cut off every export,
IT you please; cut off every shin. cut
the railroad lines at the border, cut of
all diplomatic communication, isolate
that nation, and there is not a nation
that ever has made war that I know of
that could stand such circle of iron
brought around it by the combined
eHorts OF the nations Of the world
III that nation, in violation of its
pact, does attack one of the nations
within this league or this council, this
ASSOCIATION, then we must adopt the
motto of the Three Musketeers. sOne
for All and All for One.'
But there is not one case in mill
ion in which that resort would be
forced upon us. We have had 200 ar
bltratlon cases since the year 1915, and
not one of them has brought about war.
!. ms thlng is not dream, gentlemen,
1T IS thing that is possible; but it is
thing that is possible if we do not ~
shut our eyes to it, saying the thing
cannot be done.
Ihat is not our spirit. The great
oody OF men in our army who do dis
tlngulshed service and who get little
credit, the engineers, have adopted as
their motto these words, 1T can't be
done. Here it ISL"
Motto For America
you gentleman may find. if Won
doubt, that that motto may be adopted
by the representatives of the limited
states, and the thing that YOU saw
cant be done is laid upon your table.
nope that that may be the result.
we must feel our way through this
thing. We can't develop it at once
Let us hope that something will
come out of the dream that you have
had lad and the dream that others have
Il do not know what may come out
OF Paris. l have no knowledge of the
propositions that are made in Paris.
But do know that we are bound to
champion the idea of league of ma
tlons, OF an association as the Presi-
dent put it, "A general association of
nations must be formed under specific
covenants for the purpose of affording
mutual guarantees of political inde-
pendence and territorial integrity to
great and small nations alike
have heard it said that under any
such 5 league, or any such council of ma
tions, any such effort at international
cooperation, the Monroe Doctrine
would be scattered to the winds.
want to ask you to read that line of
the Presidents and see if it is not
the very incarnation of the Monroe
Doctrine itself.
ne reason that the business man
wants peace is because, in the first
place, war is eXpensive I do not know