The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-09-08

don't pretend we can keep OUT W.
M ra,v pretend we ought to keep on,
unti, we are ashamed not to go In. Ano
this js the covenant of the league OF
nations that you hear objected to. fhe
only possibly guaranty against war.
| would consider myself recreant te
every mother and father, ana eSei
wife and sweetheart in this country, II
7 consented to the ending or this wal
witbout a guarantee that there wouio
| be no other.
! Now Won say is this an absolute
! n,,arantee2 NO. There is no absolute
Guaranty against human passion. bu.
sven If it we're only a ten percens
guaranty. wouldn't you rather nay :"
! ten percent guaranty against war .na az
none CVoice in CROWD: 1es'
If it only created the presumption .na'
there won't be any war. Woulont you
rather have that than TO nVe unuet
the certainty that there VIII be one II
| I tell YOU, and l tell you, that tan
nredict with absolute certainty tnat
within another generation there VIII
be world war if the nations OF the
world do not prevent 1t by concerned
action.
Rut T came here to talk about those
things we call reservations. reser'
walton is an assent with a but 10
| # I'VE agree, but" Now I want to
call your attention to some OF the
buts. | will take them as far as I
can. in the order in which they deal
with the clauses of the league itself.
In the first article of the covenant
lii ia provided that a nation can WIFI
draw from the league on two years
lnotice-provided that, at the time OF
this withdrawal-that Is to say, AT
the expiration of the two years, u
has fulfilled all its international obil-
cations and all its obligations under
the covenant
But some of our friends are I'M
easy about that. They want to SIT
close to the door and with their hand
on the knob and they want to say
I'VE are in this thing, but we are III
| il with infinite timidity and we are
in it only because you persuaded U.S.
and wanted US to come In, but we
are going to sit here and try this
door every once in while and see
lit isn't locked, and just as soon as
we see anything we oon't ike we
are going to scuttle.
Now, what is the trouble. / want
YOU to put this to every man you
know who makes this objection. What
is he afraid off? Is he AFRAID that
when the United States wishes to
withdraw, it will not nave fulfilled
its International obligations? Is he
willing to bring that indictment
against this beloved country?
We never did fail 10 fulfill any
obligation we have made and God
guide and help us, we never will.
And / am not going to admit the
slightest doubt that n we ever
choose to withdraw. we will then ha, .
fulfilled our obligations. Because IL
we make reservation, what do we 60?
This covenant does not set up any
tribunal to judge whether we have
fulfilled our obligations at that lime
or not.
/ There Is only one thing to restrain
us and that is the opinion of mankind.
Are these gentlemen such poor pa
triots that they are afraid the United
States will cut g poor figure in the
opinion of mankind, and do they think
they can bring this great people to
withdraw from that league, If at that
demned by the opinion Of mankind?
We have always been at pains to
earn the respect of the mankind and
we shall always be at pains to retain
1T.
for one am too proud, as an Ameri.
can, to say any doubt will ever hang
upon our right to withdraw upon the
condition of fulfillment of our inter-
national obligations.
Their difficulty under article 10 is
merely that they don't want to go IN
as partners; they want to go in as late
joiners, because they all admit that in
war which imperils the just arrange
ments OF mankind, America, The great
est, richest, freest people of the world,
must take sides with the cause. We
cannot live without taking sides. We