Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-06-26
LET THE TRUMPET SOUND
Address by Darwin P. Kingsley Of New York
At University of Vermont Memorial
Service.
Service.

third the time that George Washington
took in going from Philadelphia to New
York. Entangling alliances indeed
When the whole world Is entangled BY
steam and electricity, by land and wire
less telegraphy, by land and wireless
telephony, and by men who fly so fast
that they outrun hurricanes. These en-
tanglements have created relations be-
tween nations which the nations them
selves stupidity declare they will never
tolerate. Political leaders shout their
undying determination to prevent the
creation Of conditions which already ex-
ist what do we in the United States
care" they say. about the struggles in
Armenia? What interest have we in the
ambitions of Poland? Why should we
sock to have a voice In the settlement
Of any European question? Let them
! look out for themselves. We can and
will do the same for ourselves"
But q bitter experience has taught that
we do caro- about the Armenian massa
cres: that we are interested in Polands
ambitions; that we must have a voice
in the settlement of many European
questions.
| On June 20, 1914, not one American cit
izen in a thousand knew whether Sara
| ievo was the name of a town or a re-
| igion; but "A pistol shot there started
a conflict which cost us in dead and
wounded nearly 800 900 Of our youth, and
| heaped up net per capita debt-assum-
| ing that all loans to our allies will be
repaid--one and three-quarters times our
| per capita debt at the close OF the civil
war. We did not want to go to Europe,
! but we had to 60 We do not want to
mix In It's troubles now, but we must.
! The hope that we may not have to send
| another army across the sea Is false
| hope unless the existing order Is chang
I ed. Responsibility to the rest of the
world as well as our own self-respect
took us there in 1917. That responsibility
| Ia greater now than It has ever been
| before. It will increase. We cannot
avoid It If we are to maintain our ira
! ditions and our place In the world But
unhappiy some OF our leaders seem dis
posed to run away. Instead Of facing
the problem. they start the old familiar
cries: mo entangling alliances. Amer
lea First. OF course America First
but how? Certainly not by playing the
ostrich, by assuming that existing con-
ditions do not exist. Alexander Hamil-
ton would not have thus counseled us
nor Benjamin Franklin. nor James Mad
who first cautioned the nation against
entangling alliances These men would
have grasped the whole issue. as they
did the issues between the thirteen States
They would have recognized the fac,
that between the United States, the Brit
ish empire. and France, relations now
exist SO close, so constant, and so vital
that the solution Of the problems which
grow out Of them cannot be entrusted Il
the chaos Of so-called international law
II they are so entrusted, then there will
be a constant and deadly peril to the
peace Of the world. These problems can
not be solved by any covenant between
| sovereign States as such. Similar prob
lens between the thirteen States brought
them repeatedly to the verge of civil
war. The Articles Of Confederation and
Perpetual Union created a League OF
Nations; the confederation Of 1881 was
a covenant between sovereign States I'm.
der that instrument government became
little more than farce. Washington
and Hamilton and Franklin and Madison
and Marshall saw the futility Of travel
Ing farther on that road. They saw the
chaos that existed and foresaw the po-
litical impotence that must follow u
the thirteen States continued on the
theory tnat 6aCn was sovereign III the
full significance of that word. They
dared to face the political shouter typi.
fed by Patrick Henry who denounced
the proposed federal constitution because
It's opening sentence was I'VE the peo-
pie" and not I'VE the States" They
faced the demagogue who shouted the
word "Super-sovereignty" then as GER
tain men and papers do now. Our fed
I
eighty" then proposed and then so fierce
ly assailed. 1t is so easy now to see
what false prophets they were. It wa:
not so easy then. 1t ought to have beer
easy. Why was 1t difficult? Partly be
cause Of the demagogue-an animal no
peculiar to this particular period-partl1
because certain leaders knew they would
lose prestige and power and partly be-
cause many of the people Of each State
were persuaded that liberty could b'
preserved only il their separate SOW
ereignty was preserved. They wer,
afraid, where their lives and propert,
were involved. to make common cause
with other people so far away. At tha
time Georgia was farther from Main,
than Thibet now is from New York.
With all the noble story of this coun
try's development under the federal con
stitution before US we find our statesmen
largely Patrick Henrys and George Gin
tons. Nowhere do we hear the voice Of
Alexander Hamilton Ex-Presdent Tai
takes the broadcast view of any but ever
he would be unwilling to create a new
charter under which the United States
and the British empire and France should
so unite that wars between them woult
become as impossible as wars now ar,
between the States of this Union
= RUDE AWAKENING COMING
There is a rude awakening coming e
all those who think we should retire
from Europe as quickly as possible ant
leave the European nations to work ou
their own salvation. Our people general,
and our so-called statesmen especially
seem to have no conception Of the eco
nomio situation abroad. Only here and
there a keen observer has understood
, that Europe rests on the lips of vol
cano which may work more devastation
than the war itself. Europe, In othel
words, can easily land may) revert Il
condition OF social and economic chao:
that will ultimately involve all the world
This country and this country nlon,
: can bring Europe salvation. That We
must do We must do II not rs work o.
: altruism but to save ourselves
There g 4 widespread demand IN Eng
land thai ve forgive the over - 5Oo,oNo ~
loaned hen dur.ug the way. The LcndoE
Times vigurous(y denies thNt amy sroi
deeiro .S,s',. but the evidence ia conciu
silva, Frnuro tNlnks ne ought 10 DO 'h,