Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1919-09-07

1t is the negatlon OF everything
! that Is American, but 1T is spreading
ana so long as disorder spreads, 81
| long as the Worlu Is kept WaIClns
tor the answer 10 the question vi
the kind OF peace we are gong &c
have and what KIND or guarantees
there are behlnd that peace, tnat pol
son will steadily spread, more ant
more rapidly spread until 1T may be
that even this beloved land OF ours
Will be distracted an ddlstorted by It,
World Needs Steadlness.
THAT Is what is concerning me.
my fellow cltlzens. l know the
splenald steadlness of the American
people, but, my fellow citizens, the
whole world needs that steadlness,
ana the American people are the
makewrlght IN the fortunes OF man
| KIND. how long are we gong to de-
| bate into which scale we Will throw
! that magnificent equlpolse that be-
| longs to us? How long shall we be
| kept waiting for the answer whether
| the world may trust US or desplse
us! They have looked to us tor
leadership. They have looked to us
tor example. 1ney have built their
peace upon the basis of our sugges-
lions. that great volume that con-
tans the treaty of peace is drawn
along the specifications laid down
by the American government and
now the world stands at amaze be-
cause the authority in America hest
tates whether it will endorse an
American document or not.
You know what the necessity Of
peace is. Why, my fellow country
men, political liberty can exist only
when there is peace. Social re-
form can take place only when there
is peace. 1 have been receiving de-
legations in Washington of men en-
gagged in the service Of the govern
ment temporarily in the admlnistra-
ton of the railroads and | have had
to say to them, my friends, l can
not tell what the railways can earn
until commerce is restored to it's nor
NAL courses. Until / can tell what
the railroads can earn, l cannot tell
what the wages that the railroads
can pay will be, cannot suggest
what the increase of freight and pas
senger rates will be to meet these
increase in wages, if the rates must
be increased. l cannot tell yet
whether it will be necessary to i'll
crease the rates or not, and l must
ask you to wait
Labor Question.
"But they are not the only peo-
pie that have come to see me. There
are all sorts of adjustments neces-
sary in this country. | have asked
representatives of capital and labor
to come to Washington next month,
and confer, confer about the funda-
mental things of our life at present
That is to say, the conditions of
labor.
"Do you realize, my fellow citi-
zens, that all through the world, the
one central question of civilization is,
what shall be the conditions of la
Dor? The profoundest unrest in Eu-
| rope is due to the doubt what shall
be the condition of labor, and l need
not tell you that that unrest is
spreading to America, and in the
midst of it the treaty of peace is a
Magma Charta, a great guarantee
| that labor shall have the counsels of
the world devoted to the discussion
of it's conditions and of it's better
ment; and labor all over the world is
is going to take part in those con-
z, ferenceS or not.
| U. S Must Lead.
| "The confidence of the men who
sat at Paris was such that they put
lit in the document that the first
meeting of the labor conference nam
ed in that patr of the treaty should
take place in Washington upon the
invitation of the president of the
United States.
II am going to issue that invita-
ton whether we can attend the con
ference or not.
"But think of the modification
Think Of standing by in Washington
itself and see the world take counse
upon the fundamental matter OF
civilization without us. The thing
is inconceivable, but it is true. The
world is waiting, waiting to see, MOI
whether we will take part, bu
whether we will serve and lead, for i
has expected us to lead.
"In Paris, delegations from al
over the world came to me to sollcl
the friendship of America. The!
frankly told US that they were no
sure of anybody else that they coul'
trust; but that they did absolutel,
trust us to do them justice and to SCI
that justice was done them.
"That is the attitude of the world
and reflect upon the reaction-th
reaction of despair-that would come
if America said: 1--WE do not want t.
want to lead you. You must do with
out our advice. You must shift
without u.s.
"How are we going to bring abou
peace for which everything waits
l have been very much amazed ant
very much amused, if l could b.
amused in such citical circumstances
to see that in this very interesting
proposition we do nothing at all.
StandpOints Outdone.
L r