Omaha daily bee., 1919-03-05

sentiment Of the country is proof
! against such narrowness and such
selfishness as that. | commend these
gentlemen to communion with their
fellow citizens,
"What are we to say, then, as to
the future? | think, my fellow siti-
zens. that we can look forward to it
with great confidence. | have heard
cheering news since / came to this
side of the water about the prog
ress that is being made i'll Paris to-
wards the discussion and the clari-
fication of great many difficult
matters; and | believe that settle
ments will begin to be made rather
rapidly from this time on at those
conferences.
Gathering Heart. \
But what believe, what | know
as we'll to believe, is this: That the
men engaged in those conferences
are gathering heart as they go. not
losing it; that they are finding COM
munity OF purpose and community
of ideal to an extent that perhaps
they did not expect; and that amidst
all interplay of inhuence-because
it is infinitely complicated-amidst
all the interplay of influence, there
is a forward movement which is
running towards the right Men
have at last perceived that the only
permanent thing in the world is
the right, and that a wrong settle
ment is bound to be a temporary
settlement-bound to be a temper
airy settlement for the very best
reason of ALL that it ought to be a
temporary settlement and the spir-
its of men will rebel against it and
the spirits of men are now in the
saddle.
when l was in Italy, little limp |
ing group of wounded Italian SOL
diers sought to interview me. /
could not conjecture what it was
they were going to say to me and
with the greatest simplicity. with a
touching simplicity, they presented |
me with a petition in Favor of the |
league of nations. Their wounded |
limbs, their impaired vitality were |
the only argument that they brought !
with them. 1t was a simple request |
that l lend all the influence that l
might happen to have to relieve
future generations of the sacrifices
that they had been obliged to make.
People Crying for League.
THAT appeal has remained in my
mind as / have ridden along the
streets of European capitals, and
heard cries of the crowd, cries for
the league of nations from lips of
people, who, venture to say, had
no particular notion of how it was
to be done, who were not ready to !
propose a plan for a league of ma
tons, but whose hearts said some
thing by way of a combination of
all men everywhere must come out
of this.
"As we drove along country roads
weak old women would come out
and hold flowers to US. Why should
they hold flowers up to strangers
from across the Atlantic? Only be-
CdISC luCy UCllCNCu lidl VIC NClC lllC
of friendship and of
hope, and these flowers were their
humble offerings of gratitude that
friends from so great a distance
should have brought them so great
a hope.
1T is inconceivable that we should
disappoint them, and we shall not.
The day will come when men in
America will look back with swell
ing hearts and rising pride that they
should have been privileged to make
the sacrifice which it was necessary
to make to combine their might and
their moral power with the cause of
justice for men Of every kind every
where.
God. give us strength and vision
to do it wisely. God, give US the
privilege of knowing that we did it
without counting the cost and be-