Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1919-02-28

~ hOohb ~ 80 biOWiJ, Uul 1 WOnQel
II you realize the completely OF the
task which It has undertaken? II
81 ems as II the settlements of this
war affect, and affect directly every
great, and sometimes think every
small, Nation in the world, and no
one decision can prudently be made
which is not properly linked in with
the great series Of other decisions
which must accompany 1t, and 1t
must be reckoned in with the final
result If the real quality and charac-
ter of that result is to be properly
judged
Hearing Whole Case
What we are doing is to hear the
whole case; hear 1t from the mouths
of the men most interested; hear it
from those who are Onicially COM
missioned 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 connec-
tons that have been established by
the great world war through which we
have gone.
And | have been struck by the
Inoderateness of those who have rep
resented National claims can
testify that | have nowhere seen the
CLEAN OF passion. | have seen ear
nestness, have seen tears come to
the eyes of men who plead for down
trodden PEOPLE whom they were priv
LEGGED to speak for; that they were
not the tears of anger, they were the
tears Of ardent hope.
And | 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 in
dividual judgment of his own but to
try to assist the case Of humanity.
mo Nation Suspects U. s."
And in the midst OF It all every
interest seeks out. first OF all, when
1t reaches Paris. the representatives
of the United States. Why? Be
cause, and / think | am stating the
most wonderful fact in history-be-
cause there is no Nation in Europe
that suspects the motives Of the
United States.
Was there ever so wonderful a
thing seen before? Was there ever
so moving thing? Was there ever
any fact that 30 bound the Nation
that had won that esteem forever to
deserve 1t?
Il wonld not have you understand
that The great men who represent
the other Nations there In conference
are disesteemed by those who know
them. Quite the contrary. But you
that the Nations of Eur
cpe have again and again clashed
with one another in competitive in
terest.
1T is impossible for men to for
get those sharp issues that were
drawn between them in times past.
II is impossible for men to believe
that all ambitions have all OF sud
den been foregone.
"They remember territory that was
coveted; they remember rights that
1t was attempted to extort; they re-
member political ambitions which it
" as attempted to realize-and while
they believe that men have come in ,
to a different temper, they cannot for
get these things, and 30 they do not
resort to one another for dispas-
sionate view of the matters In con-
Iroversy. They ssort to that Nation
which has won the enviable distinc-
ton of being regarded as the friend
Of mankind
'You may be proud of the 26th Div
sion. but commanded the 26th Di-
'ision, and see what they did under
ny direction! And everybody prais
NJ the American soldier with the feel
ng that in praising him he is sub
i SSNh6 liOA Lie CIRCUIT VI no Onc
Use,
Il have been searching for the
fact that converted Hu-
'ope to believe in Jus. Before this
var Europe did not believe in US as
'he does now. She did not believe
n US throughout the frst three years
" the war. She seems really to have
relieved that We were holding OF be-
;ause we thought we could make
core by staying out than by going in. i,
And all OF a sudden, in a short IS
months, the whole verdict IL re-
'srsed. There can be but one ex-
'lAnatton for it. They saw what we
td-that without making a single ..
lain we pat all our men and all our
Means at the disposal OF those who
we're nghting for their homes, In
he Arst instance, but for cause,
ne canso OF human rights and JUS
Ice. and that we went In, not TO sup .
ort their National eiaimA. but to l.
uppoFt the great cause which they e
cid In common Il
And when they DaW THAI America
OF only held ideals. bat acted idea1, !
icy were converted to America and O