The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-09-16
WAR TRUST
CONTINUED from Page One)

are asserted, but to our diplomatic
denial we will add denial economically
and by force of arms, too.
During the war We properly and
rightly made ever sacrifice. We are
demanding now, at its close, none OF
it's spoils, but in the name of America
let US at least refuse to be treated as
part of the spoils. Out Of the war.
Great Britain comes with a suprem-
acy of the sea unquestioned. By the
treaty she has a fourth of the earth
surface and an overwhelming prepOn-
derance Of the peoples Of the earth.
Great Britain proudly contemplates
out of this peace a British world.
Shall we. who neither ask nor get any
thing from the peace, guarantee this
British world with our wealth and our
man power? France and Italy and
Japan emerged with territories beyond
the widest dreams of their statesmen
and it is demanded that America shall
underwrite all their immense acces-
sions.
1--WE have been told by the president
that we must now by this league OF
nations make the supreme sacrifc"
and throw in our fortunes with the
rest of the world. Why? The very
query evokes from league enthusiasts
immediate angry retort and while they
will not enighten us, they hint dark
| ly at our motives and deny even our
good faith Occasionally we hear that
we have at last entered upon a world
career, that we have become a part
of world politics and that we cannot
now either withdraw from the course
! into which the war drew us or desert
the world which so needs us. In the
Low cy11o 0f 70 obi nT %
! West, All Of this Is partly true, but
it by no means establishes We must
| surrended our cherished position or
| our loved ideals by becoming a party
to the sordid quarrels and the diplo-
matte duplicity of Europe and Asia.
Requires No Bargaining.
THE United States will play her
proud part in the world in the future
/ as she has done in the pasta part
! prouder because based upon American
principles and American ideals. Il did
not require secret treaties and stealthv
| bartering and unwilling peoples to
make our nation play her part in the
war.
| Throwing in our fortunes with the
| fortunes of the rest of the world
means with our altruistic brethren.
| throwing our fortunes to the rest OF
! the world. that the rest OF the world
may do with our donation as il sees
| fit. Gladly will we do what duty COM
| mands and humanity and civilization
may require, but that duty can be bet
| ter done. our obligations to humanity
and civilization better fulfilled. in the
! high position of the worlds greatest
democracy than in the subordinate po-
sition Of the least consequential Of 4
! Quintuple alliance, or as one OF many
bound irrevocably to the guaranty of
the many's power and territory.
War and World Trust.
This is not a league Of nations to
prevent war. 1t is league of armed
nations in a gigantic war trust In
its very creation it has been stripped
of every idealistic purpose It ever
had. 1t contains within itself the
germs of many wars and, worse than
that, 1t rivets. as in the Shantung de-
| cision, the chains of tyranny upon
millions of people and cements for all
time unjust and wicked annexations.
1T is a great world economic trust.
where in few men, sitting in secret.
may control the economic destinies Of
peoples. 1t is not league OF peoples.
nor does it anywhere concern itself
with peoples whose past wrongs and
future rights were so eloquently por>
trayed by the president 1t Is a trus.
of existing present power. 1t will
never prevent war: it will sanctify
power in a new. terrible and sinister
| sense"