Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-23
BIZ NORMAN HAPGOOD.

What has happened in the last
week in this country in regard to
the league of nations situation is
clearer than what has happened
abroad The work at Versailles so
far has been too much behind the
| scenes to be adequately judged. In
the United States, the popular
movement for a real league has at
tanned a great deal of Roadway. For
| instance, the American labor party
of New York, in conference on jan
uary IL and u, representing eight
hundred and seventy-eight New
York labor unions, endorsed Presi-
dent Wilson's peace aims and the
/ league of nations.
Mass meetings have begun to
! spring up around the country
! to send to the president cablegrams
| earnestly asking him to stand by
| his prin Ciples and to insist on the
| formation of a real league Such
resolution was passed by a big
mass meeting in Carnegie hall on
January 10. in Washington on the
18th, in Chicago on the 18th, and
in Baltimore on the 18th, and such
action is becoming more frequent
with each passing day. Branch or
CARNATIONS of the league of free
nations association are being
formed in various towns and
states. One of the most recent
states to organize was the state of
New Hampshire, and its organiza-
ton includes the strongest citizens
in the state.
The situation in the United
States senate is also becoming
clearer Party lines are going to
be broken. Some of the most re-
dictionary Democrats will refuse to
follow the president and will vote
against any league. Senator Reed
is constantly making it clearer
that he is such a Democrat The
Republicans are splitting up into
those who are either reactionary or
partisan on the one hand or, on the
other hand, progressive or patri-
otto.
Much interest has been shown in
the fact that Senator Lodge turned
against the league of nations when
he thought that his function as
leader of the opposition made it
was not connected with party poll
tics he said, 1T was year ago that
in delivering the chancellor ad-
dress at Union college, l made an
argument on this theory: that il
we were to promote international
peace at the close of the present
terrible war, if we were to restore
international law as it must be re
stored, we must find some way in
which the united forces of the ma
tons could be put behind the cause
of peace and law. l said then that
my hearers might think that l was
picturing a Utopia, but it is in the
search for Utopias that great dis
coveries have been made. Not fail
ure, but low aim, is the crime
This league certainly has the
highest of all aims for the benefit
of humanity, and because the path /
way is sown with difficulties is no
reason that we should turn from !
it 1t is the vision of a perhaps !
impossible perfection which has I
led humanity across the centuries. |
If our aspirations are for that !
which is great and beautiful and |
good and beneffcient to humanity, !
even when we do not achieve our |
end, even II the results are little. |
we can at least remember ArnoId's |
lines:
Charge again, then. and be dumb. !
Let the victors, when they come,
When the forts of folly fall,
Find your body at the WALL"
do not think that my friend,
Senator Johnson, would object to