The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-06-06

fought for the preservation OF the
Union, and that America might be uni
ted. these men have given their lives
In order that the world might be uni.
ted.
Those men gave their Ives In order
to secure the freedom Of a nation.
These men have given theirs in order
to secure the freedom Of mankind. and
l look forward TO an age when 1t will
be just as impossible to regret the re-
suits Of their labor as 1t is now
impossible to regret the results Of the
labor Of those men who fought for the
union OF the states. / look for the
time when every nan who now puts
his counsel against the united service
Of mankind under the league Of ma
lions will be just as ashamed Of it as
IL he now regretted the union Of the
states.
Fight Final Battle for Right.
"You are aware. as l am aware, that
the airs Of an older day are beginning
to stir again, that the standards Of an
old order are trying to assert them
selves again. There is here and there
an attempt to insert into the counsel
Of statesmen the old reckoning OF sell
t1shness and bargaining and national
advantage which were the roots of
this war, and any nan who counsels
these things advocates a renewal of
the sacrifice which these men have
made; for II this Is not the final bat
tie for right, there will be another that
will be final.
LET these gentlemen who suppose
that 1t Is possible for them to accom-
plish this return to an order of which
We are ashamed and that we are ready
TO forget, realize they cannot accom-
plish 1t. The peoples of the world are
awake and the peoples of the world
are in the saddle. Private %counsels Of
statesmen cannot now and cannot
hereafter determine the destinies Of
nations.
IF we are not the servants Of the
opinion Of mankind, VIZ are Of all men
the ~llttlest. the most contemplate, the
least gifted with vision. If we do not
know courage, we cannot accomplish
u purpose, and this age Is an age
which looks forward, not backward;
which rejects the standard Of national
s~elishnesS that nee governed the
cOunsels of nations and demands that
they shall give way to a lev order of
things In which only the questions will
be. rs 1t right?' is it just?' Is 1t in
the interest of mankind?'
This Is a challenge that no previ-
Gus generation ever dared to give ear
TO. So many things have happened and
they have happened so fast In the last
four years that l do not think many of
us realize what 1t Is that has hap
pened. Think how impossible 1t would
have been to get a body Of responsible
statesmen seriously TO entertain the
idea of the organization Of a league Of
nations -four years ago!
"And think Of the change that has
taken place! I was told before l came
to France that there would be confu-
sion Of counsels about this thing and
1 found unity Of counsel. / was told
that there would be opposition and l
found union Of action. / found the
statesmen with whom i was about to
deal united In the idea that we must
have a league of nations; that we
could not merely make a peace settle
ment and then leave 1t to make itself
efiectual.
Spirits Not Buried With Bodies.
Ladies and gentlemen, we all be-
lieve, l hope, that the spirits Of these
men are not buried with their bones.
These spirits live. l hope-I believe
that their spirits are present with us
at this hour. l hope that / feel the
compulsion of their presence. l hope
that / realize the significance Of their
presence. Think. soldiers, of those
comrades of yours who are gone. If
they were here, what would they say?
They would not remember what you
are talking about today. They would
remember America which they left
Will tuCL hiSh hopC uuu pui
And they would say:
"'FOrget all the little circumstances
Of the day. Be ashamed of the jeal-
ousies that divide you. We command
you In the name of those who, like
ourselves. have died to bring the coun-
sells Of men together, and w remind
you what America said she was born
for. She was born. she said, to show
mankind the way to liberty. She was
born to make this great gift a common
gift. She was born to show men the
way of experience by which they
might realize this gift and maintain II.
and we adjure you In the name Of all
the great traditions of America to
make yourselves soldiers now once for
all In this common cause where we
need wear no uniform except the uni
form of the heart, clothing ourselves
with the principles of right and say
ing to men everywhere, "You are our
brothers and we invite you into the
comradeship Of liberty and peace