Omaha daily bee., 1919-09-05

absolute absence of everything that
even resembled pity. There is no
indemnity in this treaty, but there
is reparation, and even in the terms
of reparation q method is devised
by which the reparation shall be
adjusted to Germany's ability to
pay it.
Astonished at Statements.
II am astonished at some of the
statements ] see made about this
treaty and the truth is that they are
made by persons who have not read
the treaty, or who, if they have read
it, have not comprehended its mean
ing
in the treaty by which the repara-
ton shall not be pressed beyond the
point which Germany can pay, but
it will be pressed to the utmost
point that it can pay which is just,
which is righteous. 1t would be in
tolerable if there had been anything
else, for, my fellow citizens. this
treaty is not meant merely to end
this single war. 1t is meant as a
notice to every government who in
the future will attempt this thing.
that mankind will unite to inhict the
same punishment.
No Glory is Sought.
There is no national triumph
sought to be recorded in this treaty.
There is no glory sought for any
particular nation. The thought of
the statesmen collected around that
table was of their people, of the
sufferings that they had gone
through, of the losses they had in
Cured, that great throbbing heart
which was so depressed, 50 forlorn.
so sad in every memory that it had
had of the five tragical years, my
fellow countrymen. Let US never
forget the purpose, the high pur-
pose, the disinterested purpose with
which America lent its strength, not
for its own glory, but for the ad-
vance of mankind.
"And as l said, this treaty was
not intended merely to end this
war; it was intended to prevent any
similar war.
Did Not Forget Promises.
II wonder if some of the oppon-
ents of the league of nations have
forgotten the promises we made our
people before we went to that peace
table7 We had taken by processes
of law the flower of our youth from
every countryside, from every
household, and we told those
mothers and fathers and sisters and
wives and sweethearts that we were
taking those men to fight a war
which would end business of that
sort and if we do not end it, if we
do not do the best that human con-
cert of action can do to end it, we
are of all men the most unfaithful-
the most unfaithful to the living
hearts who suffered in this war; the
most unfaithful to those whose
heads bowed in grief, yet lifted with
the feeling that the lad laid down
his life for great things, among
other things, in order that other
lads might not have to do the same
thing
That is what the league of ma
tons is for, to end this war justly,
and it is not merely to serve notice
on governments which would con-
template the same things which
Germany contemplated, that they
will do it at their peril, but also
concerning the combination of
power which will prove to them that
they will do it at their peril. 1t is
idle to say the world will combine
against you because it may not, but
it is persuasive to say the world is
combined against you and will re-
main combined against any who at
tempt the same things that you
attempted.
League Will Save World.
"The league of nations is the only
thing that can prevent the recur-
renee of this dreadful catastrophe
and redeem our promises. And the
character of the league is based
upon the experience of this very
war.
Il did not meet a single public man
who did not admit these things, that
Germany would not have gone into
this war if it had thought Great
Britain was going into it, and that it
most certainly would never have
gone into this war if it had dreamed
America was going into it, and they
have all admitted that a notice be-
forehand that the greatest powers
of the world would combine to pre-
vent this sort of thing it would have
prevented it absolutely.
Unity Now Is Needed
"When gentlemen tell you, there
fore, that the league of nations is
intended for some other purpose
than this, merely reply this to them,
If we do not do this thing we have
neglected the central covenant that
we made to Our people, and there
will be no statesman of any country
who can thereafter promise his peo-
pie any alienation from the perils
of war.
1.-THE passions of this world are
not dead; the rivalries of this world
have not cooled; they have been
rendered hotter than ever. The har-
ress that is to unite nations is more
necessary now than it ever was be-
fore, and unless there is this sure
ness of combined action before
wrong is attempted, wrong will be
attempted just so soon as the most |
ambitious nations can recover from |
the financial stress of this war;"
Now, look, what else is in the
treaty. This treaty is unique in the
history of mankind because the |
center of it is the redemption of |
weak nations. There never was a
congress of nations before that |
A. L. L