South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-07-11

realize the hopes or the peoples VINO
had been living in that shadow; the
nations that had come by our assist
ance 10 their freedom.
OUR DUTY TO AID IN
TRIUMPH OF FREEDOM.
To was our duty 20 do everything
that was within our power 10 do to
make the triumph Of freedom and
of right "a lasting triumph in the as
surance OF which men might every
where live without fear.
Old entaglements OF every kind
stood in the way promises which
governments had made 20 one an
other IN the DAYS when might and
right were confused and the power
Of the victor was without restraint.
Enga gements which contemplated
any disposition OF territory. any ex-
tension and sovereignty that might
seem 20 be 10 the interest Of those
who had the power 10 insist upon
them had been entered into with
ont thought Of what the peoples con-
cerned might wish or profit by; and
these could not always lie brushed
aside. II was not easy 10 graft the
new order Of ideas on the old and
some OF the fruits OF the grating
may. / fear Cor time be bitter.
But with very few exceptions. the
men who sat with us at the peace
table desired as sincerely as we did
10 get away from the bad influences.
the illegitimate purposes, the de-
I ft..rs, - h. f1f
tion counsels and eXpedierts, out Of
which the sinister designs of Ger
many had sprung as a natural
growth.
OUR PRINCIPLES SPEAK
THE WORLDS CONSCIENCE.
1t had been our privilege to form
ulate the principles which were ac-
Cepted as the basis Of peace, but
they had been accepted not because
we had come in TO hasten and as
sure the victory and insisted upon
them, but because they We're readily
acceded 10 as the principles 10 which
honorable and enlightened minds
everywhere had been bred. They
spoke Of the conscience OF the
world as we'll as the conscience OF
America, l am happy 20 pay my
tribute of respect and gratitude. to
the able. forward looking men with
whom il was my privilege TO coop
crate for their unfailing spirit Of
cooperation; their constant effort 10
accommodate the interests they re-
presented; the principles were all
agreed upon. The difficulties, which
were many, lay in the circumstances,
not often in the men. Almost with
out exception the men who led had
caught the true and full vision OF
the problem OF peace as an indis-
pensable whole, a problem not of
mere adjustments of interest, but OF
justice and right action.
The atmosphere in which the con-
ference worked seemed created not
by ambitions of strong governments,
but by the hopes and aspirations Of
small nations and Of peoples hither-
10 under bondage 10 the power that
victory had shattered and destroyed.
Two great empires had been forced
into political bankruptcy and we
were the receivers. our task w.
not only 10 make peace with the
central empires and remedy the
wrongs their armies had done. The
central empires had lived in open
violation of many Of the very rights
for which the war had been fought,
dominating alien peoples over whom
they had no natural right TO rule,
enforcing not obedience, but verit-
able bondage; exploiting those who
were weak for the benefit of those
who were masters and overlOrds
only by force of arms. There could
be no peace until the whole order
Of central Europe was set right.
That meant that new nations were
TO be created-Poland. CZechoS lO-
vakia, Hungary itself
OLD POLAND NEVER
PART OF GERMANY.
No part of ancient Poland had
ever in any true sense become a part
OF Germany or OF Austria or OF Rus
STA Bohemia was alien in every
thought and hope TO the monarchy
of which she had SO long been an
artificial part. and the uneasy part
nership between Austria and Hun
gary had been one rather OF inter-
est than of kinship or sympathy
The Slows whom Austria had chosen
20 force into her empire on the south
were kept 20 their obedience by
nothing but fear. Their hearts We're
with their kinsmen in the Balkans.
These were all arrangements of pow
er, not arrangements of natural
union or association. II was the i'm
perativc task OF those who would
make peace and make il intelligent
ly TO establish a new order which
would rest upon the free choice Of
peoples rather than upon the ad-
oitrary authority OF the Hapsburgs
or Hohenzollerng
More than that great populations
bound by sympathy and actual kin
10 T}umania were also linked against
their viii 10 the ConglOmerate Aus
tro-Hungarian monarchy or 10 9TH
ar- alien soz-erqf on ties and il was