The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-07-11

was only ~ ~ difacuit work or Ar.
IanSinS an al but universal adjust
ment OF the worlds affairs advanced
from Gay to day, from one stare oil
conference to another that It be-
came evident to them that what they
were seeking would be little more
IMAM something written upon paper.
TO be interpreted and applied by such
methods as the chances Of politics
might make available II they did not
provide means OF common counsel
which all were obliged to accept; a
common authority whose decisions
would be recognized as decisions
which all must respect.
And so the most practical, the most
skeptical among them turned more
and more to the league as the au-
thority through which international
action was to be secured, the au-
thority without which, as they had
come T. see 1t. 1t would be difiicult to
give assured effect either to this treaty
or to any other international under
standing upon which they were to de-
pend for the maintenance Of peace.
The fact that the covenant OF the
league was the first substantive part
of the treaty to be worked out and
agreed upon, while all else was in so
l.tion, helped to make the formula
ton of the rest easier. The confer
ence was. after all. not to be ephe-
neral The concert of nations was
which had been agreed upon and
which III were convinced was work
able. They could go forward with
confidence to make arrangements In
tended to be permanent The most
practical Of the conferees were at last
the most ready to refer to the league
Of nations the superintendence Of al
interests which did not admit of i'm
mediate determination. Of all admins
trative problems which were to re.
quire . continuing oversight. What
had seemed 4 counsel OF perfection
had come to seem = plain counsel OF
necessity. The league OF nations wal
the practical statesmen's hope Of sue
cess in many OF the most difficult
things he was attempting.
Continue Concert Of Nations.
And II had validated itself in the
thought Of every member Of the con
ference OF something much bigger
much greater, every way. than q
mere instrument for carrying out the
provisions Of particular treaty. 1t
was universally recognized that all the
peoples of the world demanded of the
conference that It should create such
continuing concert OF free nations as
would make wars OF aggression such
as this that has just ended forever i'm
possible. A cry had gone out from
every home in every stricken land
from which sons and brothers and
fathers have gone forth to the great
sacrifice that such a sacrifice should
never again be exacted.
II was manifest why ii had been ex-
acted. 1t had been exacted because
one nation had known. no means OF
defense except ornaments and ALI
ance. War had lain at the heart OF
Try arrangement of Europe-of
every arrangement OF the world-that
preceded the war. FESTIVE peoples had
been told that fleets and armies which
they toiled to sustain, meant peace:
and they now know that they had
been lied to: that fleets and armies
had been maintained to promote ma
tional mbitions-meant war They
know that no old policy meant any
thing but force. force-always force
And they knew that 1t was inevita BILE
Every true heart in the world, and
every enlightened judgment demand
ed that at whatever cost of independ.
t action. every government thai
took thought for its people, for jus
tice or for ordered freedom should
lend itself to new purpose and early
destroy the old order of international
politics.
Statesmen might see difnculties bu
the people could see none and would
brook no denial A war in which they
had been bled white to beat the terror
that lay concealed in every balance O
power must not end in a mere victor,
Of arms and a new balance. Thu
monster that had resorted to arms
must he put In chains that could no
be broken. The united power Of fret
nations must put a stop to aggression
and the world must be given peace.
II there was not the will OF the IN
telligence to accept that now there
must be another and a hnal war ant
the world must be sweapt clean Of
every power that could renew the ter.
ror The league of nations was MOI
merely an instrument to adjust an6
remedy old wrongs under new
treaty of peace: II was the only hops
for mankind. Again and again had
the demon Of war been cast out Of
the house by the peoples and thu
house swept clean by treaty OF peace
enter in again with spirits worse thar
~
given a tenant who could hold II
against all such.
Convenient indeed. indispensable
as statesmen found the newly planned
league Of nations to be. for the execu
tion of present plans Of peace ant
reparation. they saw in II a new aspec
before their work was finlnshed. They
saw 1t as the main object OF the peace
as the only thing that could com
plete ii or make 1t worth while, The.
saw i, as the hope Of the world and
that hope, they did not dare to dis
appoint,
Shall we or any other free peopi,
hesitate to accept this great duty
Dare we reject 1t and break the hear
Of the world.
And so the result Of the conference
OF peace so far as Germany is con
cerned, stands complete. The din
culties encountered were many. Some
times they seemed inseparable. 1t wa!
impossible to accommodate the inter
ests OF so great a body of nations-in'
STATEMENT OF THE
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