The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1919-03-07
SAYS AMERICA
FAvORS LEAGUE
Wilson Declares That Is Message
He Will Carry Back to Peace
Conference.
CRITICS ARE IMPUGNED
President Warns Opponents That
World Will overwheIm Them
Washington Would Favor
League, Says Taft.

League, Says Taft.
New York, March 5.-President Viii
son in his speech here just before his
departure for France said:
THE first thing that / am going to
tell the people on the other side of the
water is that an overwhelming major
ity of the American people is in favor
of the league of nations. l know that
that is true. / have had unmistak.
able intimations of it from all parts
of the country, and the voice rings
true in every case. l count myself for
tunate to speak here under the unus-
ual circumstances of this evening.
am happy to associate myself with
Mr.. Taft in this great cause. He has
displayed an elevation of view and a
devotion to public duty which is be-
yond praise.
League Not Party Issue.
"And 1 am the more happy because
this means that this is not a party lis.
sue. No party has the right to appro-
pirate this issue and no party will in
the long run dare oppose it.
I'VE have listened to so clear and
admirable an exposition of many of
the main features of the proposed COW
enant of the league of nations that it
is perhaps not necessary for me to
discuss in any particular way the con-
tents of the document. l will seek
rather to give you it's setting. l do
not know when l have been more i'm
pressed than by the conferences of
the commission set up by the confer
ence of peace to draw up covenant
for the league of nations. The repre-
sentatives of IA nations sat around
that board-not young men, not men
inexperienced in the affairs of their
own countries, not men inexperienced
in the politics of the world, and the
inspiring influences of every meeting
was the concurrence of purpose on the
part of all those men to come to an
agreement and an effective working
agreement with regard to this league
of the civilized world.
Conviction in Whole Impulse.
There was a conviction in the
whole impulse; there was conviction
of more than one sort; there was the
conviction that this thing ought to be
done and there was also the convic-
tion that not man there would ven
ture to go home and say that he had
not tried to do it.
iC Of tho oUrnnnonnfc nf fhiC
covenant that it is the friendly right
of every nation member of the
league to cali attention to anything
that it thinks will disturb the peace
of the world, no matter where that
thing is occurring. I'd.
There is no subject that may touch
the peace of the world which is ex-
empt from inquiry and discussion and
l think everybody here present will
agree with me that Germany would
never have gone to war if she had
permitted the world to discuss the ag-
gression upon Serbia for a single
week.
Opponents Held Lacking in Vision.
"My friend, l wish you would reflect
on this proposition. The vision as to
what is necessary for great reforms has
seldom come from the top in the ma
lions of the world. 1t has come from
the need and the aspiration and the
self-assertion of great bodies of men
who meant to be free. And l can ex.
plain some of the criticisms which
have been leveled against this great
enterprise only by the supposition that
the men who utter the criticisms have
never felt the great pulse of the heart
of the world.
"And l am amazed-not alarmed
but amazed that there should be in
some quarters such comprehensive ig
norance of the state of the world
These gentlemen do not know what the
mind of men is, just now. Everybody
else does. I do not know where they
have been closeted, do not know by
what influences they have been blind.
ed; but l do know that they have been
separated from the general currents of
the thought of mankind.
Uters Solemn Warning.
"And / want to utter this solemn
warning, not in the way of a threat
the forces of the world do not threat
en-, they operate. The great tides OF
the world do not give notice that they
are going to rise and run; they rise
in their majesty and overwhelming
might and those who stand in the way
are overwhelmed. Now the heart OF
the world is awake and the heart OF
the world must be satisfied. Do not
let yourselves suppose for a moment
that the uneasiness in the populations