The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-07-15


even in support Of principles
which we mean to pursue. They
have SO many other interests dit
ferent from ours that we must
avoid being entangled In them.
To Thomas Leiper. in 1916. he
writes:
The less we have to do with the
antilles or enmities Of Europe,
the better.
In letter to J. Coma, in 1890, he
says:
All entanglements with that
quarter Of the globe (Europe)
peace and justice shall be the
polar star of the American socie-
ties. The fundamental principle
of our government is never to en-
tangle us with the broils of Eu-
rope.
In letter to George Logan, writ.
ten in 1901, Jefferson says:
Join you in sense OF the
necessity of restoring freedom to
the ocean. but / doubt with you
whether the United States ought
to join in an armed confederacy
for that purpose, or rather, I am
satisfied they ought not
In a letter to President Monroe, in
1890 long after Jefferson had retired
to the quietude of private life, and
with opportunity of reflection on the
plan and operation of our constitu
tional form Of government, he writes:
/ have ever deemed it funda-
mental for the United States
never to take active part in the
quarrels of Europe; their political
interests are entirely distinct
from ours; their mutual jealous
les, their balance of power their
complicated alliances, their forms
and principles OF government, are
all foreign to us; they are nations
of eternal war.
In letter to Baron Van Humboldt,
written in December, 1873, Jefferson
says:
European nations constitute
separate division of the globe;
their treaties make them part OF
a distinct system; they have a set
of interests of their own, in which
1t Is our business never to engage !.
ourselves.
America has a hemisphere to
itself; 1t must have It's separate
system of interests, which must
not be subordinated to those OF
Europe.
In an address at Washington, May
9th, 1914, President Wilson spoke in
terms that should appeal to every
patriotic American. He said:
America should live her own
life. Washington saw it when he
wrote his farewell address. 1t
was not merely because of passing
and transient circumstances that
Washington said that we must
keep from entangling alliances;
it was because he saw that no
country had yet set its face in the
same direction which America had
set her face. We cannot form al
liances with those who are not
going our way. We need not. and
We should not, form alliances with
any nation in the world Those
who are right, those who hold
their honor higher than their ad-
vantage, do not need alliances.
What was true in the days of Wash
Ington and Jefferson, what was true
IN 1914, when President Wilson made
his memorable speech at Washington.
Is true today.
If during an hundred years the
policy of Washington and jefferson
has kept this country out Of foreign
entanglements, it would seem that 1t
is good policy to follow at the pres.
ent time at least until it has failed us.
Has the character of Europe so
since the days of the first
president that the United States can
afford to lay aside its traditional pol
Icy of minding its own affairs and not
in other peoples business?
The experience Of the last six months
ought to be a sufficient answer to the
question.
''.ANAA tAiC ShAtc0 totdtSb entered the
peace conference it had the goodwill
and respect of all the world. even
Germany had more wholesome
respect for us than it had before the
war but, after six months of trying to
settle the disputes of our former
friends, we have emerged with little
credit, and much disfavor. China.
with good cause. complains that it
in the war with Germany at i
our request, and that when the on. !
portunity came to restore to her the
province of Shantung, of which 1t had
been despoiled, the United States
oasely deserted her, and gave Shan.
lung to Japan, Why? Not because /
Japan had any legal or moral right to
Z, but because Japan is more power
,ul than China, and would not ioin the
eague of nations unless given Shan
Jung.
Is league of nations, purchased by
he sacrifice of national honor. worth
he price?
italy, with perhaps less cause but
With no less insistence, accuses us of !,
giving to her enemy territory that wac
Won by italian blood and sacrifice.
Poland, Belgium, and Franco eaob