The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-09-05

Mr.. Governor, nay fellow ettt4eaa}
So great u company a. taia sempta
me to make \ speech daughter and
applausel and Yet want to SAY 10
you in all seriousness and aeeesaeas
that l have not come here 10 make
a speech In the ordinary seaae OF the
term.
have rather come upon very
sober errand. indeed, I have come to
report TO you upon the work which
the representatives OF the United
States attempted TO do at the con-
ference OF peace on the other side
of the sea. because ! realize, my
fellow citizens. that my colleagues
and |, in the task we attempted over
there, were your servants. We went
there upon distinct errand, which
1t was our duty to perform in the
spirit which you had displayed In the
prosecution of the war and in con-
ceiving the purposes and objects Of
that war.
was in the city of Columbus this
forenoon, where l was endeavoring to
explain to body Of our fellow citi-
zens there just what 1t was that the
treaty of peace contains, for I must
frankly admit that in most of the
speeches Iudl i nave uSdlu III uSodlS
upon the treaty of peace, it would
be impossible to form a definite con-
ception of what that instrument
means.
want to recall to you, for the
purposes of this evening. the circum-
stances of the war, and the purposes
for which our men spent their lives
on the other side Of the sea.
You will remember that a prince
of the House of Austria was slain in
one of the cities of Servia. Servia
was one of the small kingdoms of
Europe. She had no strength which
any of the great powers needed to
fear AS we see the war now, Ger
many and those who conspired with
her made a pretext of the assassina-
ton in order to make unsconscionable
demands of the weak and helpless
Servia, not with a view Of bringing
about an acquiescence in these de-
mands, but with view to bringing
about a conflict in which their pur-
pose, quite separate from the pur-
poses connected with these demands,
could be achieved.
Germany Declined Conference.
Just as soon as these demands were
made other nations Of Europe sent
Geographic messages to their repre-
sentatives at Vienna and Berlin, urg-
ing them to ask the governments OF
Vienna and Berlin to enter into dis
cussions Of these matters. Qnterrup-
ton on account of noise and cOnfu-
sion.)
was recalling, my fellow citizens,
the circumstances which began the
terrible conflict that has just been con-
cluded. So soc2 as the unconscion-
able demands of Austria were made on
Servia the other governments OF Eu-
rope sent Geographic messages to Ber-
lin and Vienna, asking that the matter
be brought into a conference, and the
significant circumstance Of the begin
ming of this war is that the Austrian
and German governments did not dare
to discuss the demands on Servia, or
the purpose which they had in view.
1t is universally admitted on the
other side Of the water that if they
had ever gone into international CON
ference on the Austrian demands, the
war never would have been begun.
There was an insistent demand from
London, for example, by the British
Foreign Minister that the cabinets OF
Europe should be allowed time to con-
fer with the governments at Vienna
and Berlin. The governments at vi
emma and Berlin did not dare to adj
nit time for discussion.
What League Critics Miss.
l am recalling these circumstances,
my fellow citizens, because ! want to
point out to you what apparently has
escaped the attention of some of the
critics of the league Of nations that
the heart of the league of nations
covenant does not lie in any of the
portions which have been discussed in
public debate. The great bulk of the
provisions of that covenant contained
these engagements and promises on
the part of the states which under
took to become members of it; that in
no circumstances will they go to war
without first having either submitted
the question to arbitration--in which
case they agree to abide by the result;
or, having submitted the question to
discussion by the council of the league
of nations, in which case they will
allow six months for the discussion,
and engage not to go to war until
three months after the council has an
nounced it's opinion upon the subject
under dispute.
So that the heart Of the covenant Of
the league is that the nations solemn
ly covenant not to go to war for rine
months after a controversy becomes
acute.
If there had been nine days of dis
cussion Germany would not have gone
to war. If there had been nine days
within which TO bring to bear the
opinion OF the world. the Judgment OF
mankind upon the purposes Of those
governments, they never would have
dared to execute those purposes.
So that what it is important for us
to remember is that when we sent
those boys in khaki across the sea, we
promised them, we promised the world
that we would not conclude this con
f1ict with a mere treaty of peace. We
entered into solemn engagements with
all the nations with whom we asso
ciated ourselves that we would bring
about such a kind of settlement, and
such a concert of the purpose of ma
tions that wars like this could not
again occur.
Why We Went to War
II this war has to be fought over
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