Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-07-10
Old EntansIements Overcome.


mere adjustment of interests, but of
justice and right action.
Old EntansIements Overcome.
"Old entanglements Of every kind
stood in the way-promises which gov
ernments had made to one another il
the days when might and right were
confused and the power of the victor
was without restraint. Engagements
which contemplated any dispositions Of
territory, any extension Of sovereign
ty that might seem to be to the in
terest of those who had the power to
insist upon them, had been entered In
to without thought Of what the peoples
concerned might wish or profit by;
and these could not always be honor
ably brushed aside.
Built On Hopes Of Small Nations.
"The atmosphere in which the con-
ference worked seemed created, not by
ambitions of strong governments, but
by the hopes and aspirations Of small
nations and Of peoples hitherto under
bondage to the power that victory had
shattered and destroyed Two great
empires had been forced into political
ouI Idoh was AAoI ohiJ
to make peace with the central en-
pires and remedy the wrongs their
armies had done"
After citing the disintegrated condi-
ton of Austria, Poland, Roumania and
Czecho- Slovakia and other countries at
the end of the war and pointing out
that new empires had to be built, the
president continued:
Holds League Necessity.
"The promises governments were
making to one another about the way
in which labor was to be dealt with,
by law, not only, but In fact as well,
would remain a mere humane theory
if there was to be no common tribunal
of opinion and judgment to which lib
eral statesmen could resort for the in
fluence which alone might secure their
redemption. A league of free nations
had become practical necessity. Ex-
anime the peace treaty and you will
find everywhere provisions its trainers
have felt obliged to turn to the league
of nations as an instrumentality for
the maintenance Of new order it has
been their purpose to set up in the
world-the world of civilized men,.
THAT there should be league of
nations to steady the councils and
maintain the peace understanding of
the world, to make not treaties alone
hut to accept the actual conduct of the
government of the world, had been
accepted from the first as the basis of
peace with the central powers. The
statesmen of all belligerent countries
were agreed that league was to be
sustained to secure the settlements to
be effected. But at first I believe there
was feeling among them that while
it was to be attempted the formation
of such a league was perhaps a coun-
Gil Of perfection which practical men,
long experienced in the world Of af-
fairs, must agree to very cautiously
and with many misgivings. 1t was only
as the difficult work of arranging
and adjustment of the worlds affairs
advanced from day to day from one
stage Of conference to another that it
became evident to them that what they
were seeking would be little more than
something written on paper, to be ap-
piled by such methods as the chances
of politics might make available If
they did not provide means Of COM
mon council which all were obliged to
accept-a common authority, whose
decisions would be recognized as deci-
sions which all must respect"
Turned To League.
"Ahd SO the most practical, the most
skeptical among them turned more
and more to the league as the author
ity thru which international action was
to be secured, the authority without
which as they had come TO see it. it
would be difficult to give assured ef-
f.ct either tc this ttIt.a;y Or 10 any 9TH
er international understanding upon
which they were to depend for the
maintenance Of peace.
"The fact that the covenant Of the
league was the first substansive part
Of the treaty to be agreed upon, while
all else was in solution, helped to make
the formulation Of the rest easier. The
conference was. after all, not to be
ephemerial. The concert Of nations
was to continue under definite CO.
venant which had been agreed upor
and which all were convinced waa
workable.
80 U.i E Ha Fil7