The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-07-10

20 E-1-- Tie lew QE1rg q. 4-ctS AA ~
CID az3 saEe on the fruits Of the graft
ing zzy. fear. for time Ne 6itte--
Bzs- with very feE exceptions. IN
; lEea who sat with ~ al tie psSc'
J table desired As sincerely az We dic x
get 4wav from the bad fnflce1cas, IL
] il2egIriz2ars purposes. the de-aoEzalzin
z--.ostsols. the International coUnssE.
!. -zd sxzedselrs. o1t OF which tie sEza
.s-e- GsssS1s o. Germany had Sgr-1:
Is . E4-Iral growth
H-no-abe Principles
II had been cur privilege 10 forTaI
Late the principles which were &c
ee2.sr5 Is the basis o. peace. hut the,
Ind been accepted not because we hAL
cuae In 10 hasten and assure the VIC
tory and insisted upon them but oe
cause Their we're readily accsted 10 a
the PRINCIPLES 10 which ho1orz5le and
enlightened EsrGs every~1e-s aal
been bred They spoke the conscience
Of the =u-sd as EeTl rs the conscience
a. America and / an happy 10 Pay III
1 tribute q respect and gratitude 10 ms
able. forward looking men with whom
il was my privilege 10 cooperate ios
their zntsiling spirit OF coo2eraiton'
their constant effort 70 accommodate
the interests they represented to the
principles ws all zgreed upon The
difficulties, which seze many, lay IN
the circumstances. NOS often IN The
Ee1 Almost without exception the
men who led had caught TIE true ana
full vision Of the problem OF peace as
an sn5irisssIs whole, problem not OF
mere adjustments Of interest, but Of
Justice and right action
The atuos phe-s in which the con-
ference worked seemed created not ng
the ambitions OF strong governments,
bun by the hopes and aspirations OF
small nations and Of peoples hitherto
under bondage TO the power that VIC
tory Lad shattered and destroyed The
two great empires had been forced
into political bankruptcy and We were
the receivers. Our task was not only
TO make peace with the central en-
pires and remedy the wrongs their
armies had done The central empires
had lived in open violation of many OF
the very rights for which the war had
been fought, dominating alien peoples
over whom they had no natural right
TO rule, enforcing not obedience but
veritahle bondage; exploiting those
who were weak for the benefit OF
those Who were masters and over
lords only by force Of arms
There could be no peace until the
whole order OF central Europe was set
right
New Nations Created.
That meant that new nations were
to be created-Pcland, Czecho-Slova-
kia. Hungary itself No part of ancient
Poland had ever in any true sense be-
come 2 part Of Germany or OF Austria
Or OF Russia Bohemia was alien In
every thought and hope 10 the mon
archy OF which she had so long been
an artificial part; and the uneasy
partnership between Austria and Hun
gary had been one rather OF interest
than OF kinship Or sympathy The
Slows whom Austria had chosen 10
force into her empire on the south
were kept TO their obedience by moth
ing bur fear Their hearts were with
their kinsmen in the Balkans. These
were all arrangements OF power, not
arrangements Of natural union or asSo-
ciation II was the imperative task OF
those who would make peace and
make it iRtelIigently 10 establish a
new order which would rest upon the
free choice of people rather than upon
the arbitrary authority of the Haps-
burgs or Hohenzollerns-
More than that, great populations
bound by sympathy and actual kin TO
Rumania were also nnEe1 against
their will to the conglomerate Aus
tro-Hungarian monarchy or TO other.
alien soyereignties. and it was part OF
the task OF peace 20 make new Ru-
mania as well as new Slovic state
clustering about Serbia
And no natural frontiers could be
found to these new fields or adjust
ment and redemption. 1t was neces-
sary 10 lock constantly forward to
other related tasks. The German
colonies were to be disposed OF. They
had not been governed; they had been
exploited merely, without thought OF
the interest or even the ordinary
human rights Of their inhabitants.
The Turkish empire, moreover, had
fallen apart as the Austro-Hungaria
had. 1t had never had any real unity.
1t had been held together only by
pitiless, inhuman force. It's peoples
cried aloud for release, for succor
from unspeakable distress, for all that
the new day of hope seemed at last
to bring within its dawn
Peoples hitherto In utter darkness
were to be led out into the same light
and given at last a helping hand. Tn
peoples and peoples ready
for recognition. but not yet ready to
assume the full responsibilities OF
statehood were TO be given adequate
guarantees OF friendly protection,
guidance and assistance
Opportunities Arise
And out of the execution of these
great enterprises of liberty sprang
to attempt what states
men had never found the way before
10 do. an opportunity 20 throw safe
guards about the rights Of radical. ma.
tional and religious uinorities uv SOL
emn International covenant: an oupor-
tunity 10 limit and regulate military
where they were mort
likely to be mischieyoas: an opportun-
ity to effect complete and Systematic
Observation-Disclosures OF waterways and
railways which were necessary IN +ra