Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1919-05-29

1877 expressed tan imposed repair
atoms and indemnities which were cal
culated to keep France bankrupt and |
ruinously taxed for half Gentry.
"You will perceive, Senators, the
likeness of the proceedings at Wen |
ma to those at Paris.
And what happened after this
wonderful Congress had formulated
its League of Nations and instituted
perpetual peace?
"Why, the wonderful Council of
the League of Nations met three times
in 1918, and in 1822-and the Lea
que went out of existence in 1923,
when the Executive Council issued
mandate" to France to attact the rev.
olutionists, who had overthrown the
Spanish monarchy and set up gov
eminent Of their own.
even to the language and the ter
ms employed, and all its proposed
powers and objects, the League of
Nations to which we are now invited
to surrender American sovereignty
is an exact imitation of the League
of Nations set up at Vienna.
"That League lasted less than sew
en- years accomplished nothing of val
ue and died amied general ridicule.
And what less disastrous fate likely
to occur to the imitation than to the
original League?
Nov, Senators, you will recollect
another parallelism. Our own count
ry was dragged into the general Eur
opean war which was ended at Vienna
just as it was dragged into this Euro
pean war-by aggression upon our
shipping. Great Britain and her al
lies in those times loudly proclaimed
that they were waging war for the
freedom of humanity from autocracy
and militarism then located in France
and the English insisted upon inter-
cepting our commerce with France
and with neutrals; and as Americans
in those days were always ready to
maintain American rights to the free
dom of the seas always any aggressor
England or any other nation--the
United States went to war against
| Great Britain. In that war our lit
tie navy was victorious and our army,
under Jackson, won the last famous
fight at New Orleans.
But what was our Governments
procedure then? Did the President
subsequently attend the Congress at
Vienna? Did our ENJOYS join in re-
mapping Europe?
mot so, Senators, not So Our
Government waged it's own war with
Great Britain.
1T associated itself with no other
Power.
1T seditiously avoided taking any
part in the disputes or negotiations
of the European Powers.
at maintained the policy of Wash
ington.
"And it not only came out of the
war with increased prestige, and
with the freedom of the seas and
neutral rights established, but it
also kept our country scot-free from
any ENHANCEMENT in the wars which
again broke out in Europe-just as
they will break out after this pres
ent peace is put through.
Senators, there is no way to
Judge of the future but by the ex-
periences of the past.
"And here is the past we have
within the boyhood of some of your
own fathers, an exact likeness of the
events that are now occurring.
"And it is the only part of COM
mon sense to predict that the League
of Nations now proposed will end in
the same failure that resulted to the
League formed then; that the peace
terms formulated in Paris upon the
model of those formulated at Vienna
will be followed by the same wars
that followed the elder treaty; anc
blictG Jul WiSSSG COQ1oC 10 " 1OllOh
the policy of our Government SO sue
cessfully and beneficially followed
then-THE POLICY OF ATTEND
ING TO OUR OWN BUSINESS
: AND OF LETTING EUROPE AT
TEND TO ITS OWN BUSINESS.
'For what would be the use o,
writing history and preserving thu
, records of other times, if we have
nothing to learn from the successes
and failures of the past?
5 Does the nature of government
t or of individuals radically chang
$ within single lifetime? And ar
: there not still living men and womel
l who were alive in the year 1878
: when the first Congress of the frs
|. League of Nations was in session
I