The Delta independent., 1920-09-10

| objectionable libel To attribute mean.
meas TO those of hs who. in the per-
formance of our pupnc uuu,, .eIus.1...
TO participate in what we sincerely
| regarded as 4 betrayal Of our OWL
country in the interest of others. is tn
discredit the intelligence and discriuhi-
| nation of the great mass of American
| people who directly, by their vote,
put US in our positions of trust For
myself, yield to no man in willing
ness, aye. in eagerness, to render the
greatest conceivable assistance to the
| stricken peoples of Europe l include
| all of them and speak with genu-
| inely sympathetic heart whether il is to
| mention devastated France, or sorely
| tried Italy or nobly struggling Poland.
or distracted and misguided Russia or
| gallant little Belgium. or pitiably de
ceived Austria, or the ruthless invader.
| Germany, which came to the supreme
tragedy through IA leadership which
brought disaster to her misguided
people
1T was with that feeling of sym
pathy and desire TO serve, that most
reluctantly and with grave misgivings,
as L announced at the time with
reservations designed to preserve oul
essential liberty of action. The record
is made, and under the same condi-
lions. confronted by the same alterna-
tive. l should vote now as voted
then.
But the conditions have changed
Experience has brought enlightenment
tl.at
tuted at Versailles is utterly impotent
as preventive of wars. 1t is so OBJ
viously impotent that it has not even
been tried. The original league, mis-
takenly conceived and unreasonable
insisted upon, has undoubtedly passed
beyond the possibility of restoration
The maturer judgment of the world
will be that ii deserved to pass for
che very simple reason that. contrary
to all of the tendencies developed by
the civiliZing processes of the world,
il rested upon the power of might not
Of right.
The assertion IS made frequently
fhat through the surrender of our ma
tionality We might have saved the life
Of the covenant-that is to say. that.
AiAhNh-n twenty -l-All udANtHS tDUtl
not make il function. one added to the
twenty-eight would have achieved
glowing success, prov ,ded. always. that
the one were America.
This pays TO America the tribute
Of exceptional influence. But / sug-
gest that II the world is dependent
upon our action to bring about the
supreme realization, then we ought
to have the say about our own free
dom in participation therein. But
let us consider what is meant by this
reliance upon America. What can
1t SIGNIFY if not that It is to the
United States. and to the United
States alone. that the other twenty
eight nations look for the bone and
sinew. the money. the munitions. and
the men TO sustain the entire organi-
.ation, not as an agency of peace, but
as an armed force?
"A few days ago delegation of
an organization. which calls itself
a society for the prevention of war. I
appealed to the premier of Great
Britain to unite and use the powers (
of the world in defense of Poland, !
Armenia and the Dardanelles The |
British premier replied. according To /
his remarks quoted by the newspap-
crs. to the effect that. while the 4
formation of an International army +
would be AN ideal solution it could
not be accomplished because the
European nations could not furnish
the troops and the United States had 4
Withdrawn from co-operation'-a
polite and diplomatic phrase and
more exactly meaning. of course. that
the senate of the United States had
not completed the partial obligation
assumed by the President to do that
very thing-that is. to furnish the
troops Could q cleaner indication
of what would have been expected
of this country as a member of the
league be desired. Hardly. Some,
too, think or say they think. that this
extraordinary service should be rem
dered. l do not agree with them,
but. assuming that they are right,
venture to note that nothing stands
IN the way of performance The Presi-
lent has only to call upon Congress
10 declare war. and to confer upon
him specific authority to raise armies
'or the protection of the powers
which, though recently associated
with. are still foreign to our own re.
public.
1T is reasonably safe to assume,
however. that the President will not
pursue this course. Fortunately, he
8 under no compelling moral obliga-
ion under the league to do so. His
ecent unhappy experience. more
'ver. in asking Congress to send