The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-11-05
Maroney Makes
a Great Speech

The election il over. The people
have knowingly or unknowingly, fol-
lowing the lead of the Republican cam
didate for President. "turned their
backs" on the League of Nations.
That is the logical meaning of the re-
suit of last Tuesdays election. What
may be its fate in the hands Of Hard
ing, Hiram johnson, Borah, Penrose
and Lodge, who will construe the
election as an Endorsement of their
fight against it, and Taft, Hughes,
Root and few other lights of the
Republican party who favored it but
marched in the parade with Harding,
johnson and Borah, remains for the
future to unfold. But this fact sur
wives, that numbers do not make
right any more than. might makes
right, and though the country has
been swept off its feet by a cyclone of
misrepresentation, false interpreta-
tions and confusion of minds that
could not grasp the true issue nor the
situation, the humane principles ami
mating the League of Nations are
right, and the covenant of Versailles
is the only sane. practical and united
effort ever put forth by the nations
to stop war and maintain universal
peace.
That, however, is not what l start
ed to say, but to pay slight tribute
to the speech, discourse, lecture, or
whatever you may be pleased to term
it, delivered last Saturday night by
the Hon. A. G. Maroney. of st. Louis,
in upholding the principles and aims
of the League of Nations which
| Republican Senate refused to ratify.
His address was probably the most
learned and scholarly ever listened to
by a Pennington audience. There
was no effort to arouse the emotions
of his audience, no pyrotechnic
| flights of oratory, but quiet pres
ence, an eloquence of earnestness,
beauty of diction and a far-reaching
knowledge of history, the science of
law and of advancing civilization that
held the closest attention of his au-
dience for two and a half hours. Some
one remarked afterwards that 'it was
wonderful, but was over the peoples
heads" The rapt attention given him
throughout refutes that judgment and
| justifies the audiences appreciation of
genuinSs sioa;geEse, learning and sane
reasoning
would not attempt in the short
space of newspaper article to give
even a partial resume of his address.
From the earliest dawn of human con-
ception of law and order he brought
his audience on down the struggling
ages, the worlds manifold civiliza-
tions, recurring wars with all their
cruel horrors, the rise and fall of ma
tions and their effects upon mankind,
and away back in the most ancient of
humanity's forward struggle there
seemed to exist a faint nebula of
democracy in the human mind that
through succeeding ages slowly but
surely expanded until it resulted in
magma charta and the declaration of
independence.
An application of the prologue of
his address was made to the League
position of its purpose, aim and
covenant so perfectly plain, simple
and easily understood that he who
runs might read. Just an instance of
his clear logic: You have heard a
good deal of talk about the League
being "super" government of all
the other governments entering it.
He simply called attention to the fact
that government must have leg
islative body to enact its laws and an
executive authority to enforce them;
that without these here would be no
government; that the covenant of the
League gave no authority to any
council, assembly or body of men to
legislate or make any laws or enforce
them, and the hobgobblin of "super"
government went hobbilng out OF
sight. Those who heard Mr.. Maroney
may not remember all he said-it
would be wonderful if they could
but all will remember some point, or
fact, or beautiful phrase, and always
feel glad that they were present to
hear him. 7. d. F.