Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-02-28

burden. It is one Of those burdens
which any nation ought to be proud t.
carry. Any man who resists the pres
ent tides that run in the world will fint
himself thrown upon a shore so higl
and barren that it will seem as If h
had been separated from his human
kind forever.
The Europe that left the other da!
was full Of something that it had new
er felt fill it's heart so full before. 1
was full Of hope. The Europe of th'
second year Of the war. the Europe o,
the third year Of the war, was sinking
to a sort Of stubborn desperation. The!
did not seem to see any great thing t.
be achieved even when the war shoult
be won. They hoped there would b'
some salvage; they hoped that the.
could clear their territories Of invad
ing armies; they hoped they could Sc
up their homes and start their indus
tries afresh. But they thought it woult
simply be the resumption Of the ole
life that Europe had-led in fear, lee
in anxiety, led in constant suspicion:
watchfulness. They never dreamed
that it would be Europe Of settled
peace and Of justified hope.
All Peoples Buoyed Up.
And now these ideals have wrought
this new magic, that all the peoples Of
Europe are buoyed up and confident in
the spirit of hope, because they be-
lieve that we are at the eve Of a new
age in the world when nations will un.
derstand one another, when nations
will support one another in every just
cause, when nations will unite every
moral and every physical strength tc
see that the right shall prevail.
If America were at this juncture tc
fail the world, what would come Of 1t
1 do not mean any disrespect to any
other great people when I say thai
America is the hope of the world, and
If she does not justify that hope the
results are unthinkable. Men will be
thrown back upon the bitterness OF
disappointment not only, but the bit
terness of despair. All nations will be
set up as hostile camps again; the men
at the peace conference will go home
with their heads upon their breasts
knowing that they have failed-for
they were hidden not to come home
until they did something more than
sign treaty Of peace.
Suppose we sign the treaty Of peace
and that it is the most satisfactory
treaty of peace that the confusing ele-
ments of the modern world will afford
and 60 home and think about our Ia.
bors; we will know that we have left
written upon the historic table at Ver-
sailles, upon which Vergeness and
Benjamin Franklin wrote their names
nothing but a modern scrap Of paper
No nations united to defend, no great
forces combined to make it good, nc
assurance given to the downtrodden
and fearful people Of the world that
they shall be safe. Any man who thinks
that America will take part in giving
the world any such rebuff and disap-
pointment as that does not know
Challenge to Critics.
I invite him to test the sentiments OF
the nation We set this up to make
men free, and we did not confine our
conception and purpose to America,
and now we will make men free. II
we did not do that, the fame Of Amer
lea would be gone and all her powers
would be dissipated. She then would
have to keep her power for those mar
row, selfish, provincial purposes which
seem so dear to some minds that have
no sweep beyond the nearest horizon
l should welcome no sweeter challenge
than that. I have fighting blood in me
and it is sometimes a delight to let II
have scope, but If it is challenge on
this occasion it will be an indulgence
Think Of the picture, think of the ut
ter blackness that would fall on the
has failed. America
made little essay at generosity and
then withdrew. America said: I'VE are
your friends" but it was only for to-
day, not for tomorrow. America said
Here is our power to vindicate right,
and then the next day said: Let righ,
take care Of itself and we will take care
of ourselves" America said: 1--WE set uE
a light to lead men along the paths OF
liberty, but we have lowered 1t, it is
intended only to light our own path"
We set up a great deal of liberty and
then we said: Liberty is thing thai
you must win for yourself, do not cal
upon u.s." And think Of the world thai
we would leave. Do you realize how
many new nations are going to be SCI
up in the presence of old and powerful
nations in Europe and left there, if left
by u.s. without disinterested friend?
What of the Helpless?
Do you believe in the Polish cause
as I do? Are you going to set up Po
land, immature, inexperienced, as ye
unorganized, and leave her with a cir
Gle of armies around her? Do you be-
lieve in the aspiration of the Czecho
Slovaks and the Jugo-Slavs as 1 do
Do you know how many powers woult
be quick to pounce upon them if ther'
were not the guarantees of the worlt
behind their liberty?
Have you thought Of the suffering
Of Armenia? You poured out you
money to help succor the Armenian
after they suffered; now set you
strength so that they shall never suffe
again.
The arrangements Of the presen
peace cannot stand generation unles
they are guaranteed by the unitet
forces of the civilized world. And i
we do not guarantee them, cannot yo'
see the picture? Your hearts hav
instructed you where the burden o
this war fell. 1t did not fall upon tn
national treasures, it did not fall upoI
the instruments of administration,
did not fall upon the resources of ma