Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-02-24

ceedings or the results of the pro-
ceedings OF the peace conference that
would be premature. 1 can say that
have received very happy impress
sions from this! conference; the i'm
preston that while there are many
differences q judgment, while there
are some divergencesF of object. there
common realisation OF the, necessity
Of setting up new standards of right
In the world. s-%sI*
Because the. men who ARE in the
conferences in. Paris re4ltze as keenly
As any american can realize that they
are mott the masters Of their people;
thSt tAeX, are THE, servants ofEtheaf
people and that the spirit, of their
people.-has awakened to a new 1pr-
pose and new conception. OF, their
POWER to realize that PURPOSE and
that no man dare 20 home from that
conference and report anything less
noble than was expected Of it.
The conference seems to you to 60
slow today in Paris it seems to go
slowly; but I wonder If you realize
the. complexity of the task which it
has undertaken. It seems as II the
settlements of this war affect and
affect directly every great, and I
sometimes think every small nation
in the world, and no one decision can
prudently be made which is not prop
erly linked in with the great series of
other decisions which must accom-
pany it. And it must be reckoned In
with the final result if the real quail
ty and character Of that result is to
be properly judged.
What we are doing is to hear the
whole case: hear it from the mouths
of the men most interested; hear it
from those who are officially commits
stoned to. state it; hear. the rival
claims; hear the claims that affect
new nationalities, that affect new
areas of the world, that affect new
commercial and economic connections
that have been esta blished by the
great world war through which we
have gone. And I have been struck
by the moderatness of those who
have represented national claims.
can testify that I have nowhere seen
earnestness. have seen tears come to
the eyes Of the men who plead for
downtrodden people whom they were
privileged to speak for; but they were
not the tears of anguish, but they
were the tears of ardent hope.
An d1 don't see how any man can
fail to have been subdued by these
pleas, subdued to this feeling, that he
was not there to assert an individual
judgment of his own, but to try to
assist the cause of humanity, and in
out first of all, when 1t reaches Paris.
these representatives Of the United
States. Why? Because, and I think
am stating the most wonderful fact
in history-because there is no ma
ton in Europe that suspects the mo-
tives Of the United States.
WAS there ever so wonderful a
thing seen before? Was there ever
SO moving a thing? WAS there eveu
any fact that so bound the nation that
had. won that esteem forever to de-
serve 1T?
Il would not have you understand
that the great men who represent the
other nations there in conference are
dis-esteemed by those who know
them. Quite the contrary. But you
understand that the nations of Eur
ope have again and again clashed
with one another: in competitive in
terest. It is impossible for men to
forget those sharp issues that were
drawn between them In times past. It
is impossible for men to believe that
all ambitions have all of a sudden
been foregone. They remember ter
ritory that was coveted; they remem-
ber rights that 1t was attempted to
extort: they remeFber political am
bitions which 1t was attempted to
realize-and. while they believe that
men have come into q different
temper, they cannot forget. these
things, and SO they do not resort to
one another for a dspassonate vew
Of the matters n. controversy. They
resort to that nation which has won
the envable dstnction Of being re-
'garded as the friend of mankind.
Whenever it is desired to, send q
small force of soldiers to occupy .
piece of territory where 1t IL thought
nobody else Will be welcome, they
ask for American soldiers. And
where other soldiers will be looked
upon with suspicion aud perhaps
met with resistaIce the American sol.
fdier. IL welcomed With acelaim.
II have had 90 many eround1 for
pride on the other side OF the water
that am thankful that they are mot
grounds Tor personal pride. I'd be the
(CoAtnusl sn PAgS - 4 Il