New-York tribune., 1920-08-10

Europe. We know them as a nation.
even as we know to-day that success
on land and sea could be but half a
victory The other half is not won
yet. 10 the cry of the French at Yer
dun, They shall not pass; the cheer
OF our own men in the Argonne, eve
snsii go through" we must add this.
AZ snail not occur again" This is the
posltive declaration of our own wills,
/ that the world shall be saved from a
repetition of this crime. To this end
She Democratic party offers a treaty of
peace which, to make it real treaty
tor real peace, must include a league
OF nations. because this peace treaty.
! II our best and bravest are not to
nave died in vain, must be no thinlv
disguised armistice, devised by cynical
statesmen to mask their preparations
1or a renewal of greed-inspred con-
quests later on
Peace That Will Last
Peace" must mean peace that will
iast. A practical, workable, permanent,
enforceable kind of peace that will
hold as tightly as the business con-
tracts of the individual We must in
deed be, above all things, business
ilKe and practical in this peace treaty
making business of ours The League
OF Nations is practical solution Of
practicai sas situation, 1t is no more per-
feet than our original Constitution,
which has been amended eighteen
times and will soon we hope, be
amended the nineteenth. was perfect
1t is not anti-national, it is anti-war
No super nation, binding us to the
decisions of its tribunals, is suggested.
but the method and machinery by
which the opinion of civilization may
become effective against those who
seek war is at least within the reach
OF humanity. Through it we may, with
nearly every other duly constituted
government in the whole world, throw
our moral force and our potential
power into the scale of peace. That
such an object should be contrary to
American policy is unthinkable; but
IT there be any citizen who has hon
est fears that it may be perverted
from its plain intent so as to conflict
with our established form of govern
ment it will be simple to declare to
him and to the other nations that the
Constitution Of the United States is in
every way supreme. There must be
/ no eQulvocatlon, no vagueness, no
doubt dealing with the people on this
issue. The league will not 5die. An
idea does not die which meets the call
OF the hearts OF our mothers.
To-Day we are offered a seat at the
table of the family Of nations to the
end that smaller peoples may be truly
safe to work out their own destiny, to
the end that the sword shall not fol-
low on the heels of the merchant, to
the end that the burden of increasing
armies and navies shall be lifted from
the shoulders Of a world already stag
gering under the weight of taxation.
We shall take that place. I say so be-
cause ] have faith-faith that this ma
our people are looking into the years
beyond for better things. and that they
are not afraid to do their part,
Peace Stacker a Menace
The fundamental outlook on the as
sociations between this Republic and
the other nations can never be very
different in character from the princi-
pies which one applies to our own
purely internal affairs. A man who
opposes concrete reforms and improve
ments in international relations is of
necessity a reactionary, or at least
conservative in viewing his home prob
lens.
Among the most pressing of these
national needs l place the bettering of
our citizenship, the extension of teach
ing to over 100000 of our population
above the age of ten who are illterate,
the strengthening of our immigration
laws to exclude the physically and
morally unfit, the Improvement of
working conditions, especially in the
communications to make rural life
more attractive, the further protection
of child life and of women in industry
All of these demand action. If we
raise the standard of education, of
physical fitness, of moral sense, the
generations to come will have no diff
Guilty in coping with the problems of
material economics.
So also with regard to the further
development of our natural resources
we offer a constructive and definite
objective. We begin to appreciate that
as a nation We have been wasteful of
our opportunities. We ned not mere
ly thrift by saving but thrift by the
proper use of what we have at hand.
Our efforts in the past have been scat
tered. 1t is now time to undertake a
we'll considered coordinated plan of
development, so that each year will see
progress along definite lines. The days
of pork barrel" legislation are over.
Every dollar of our expenditures for
port facilities, for inland waterways,
for flood control, for the reclamation
of swamp and arid lands, for high
ways, for public buildings, shall be ex
pended only by trained men in accord
ance with a continuing plan.
Duty of Public Service
First Of all the methods of the legis-
lative branch of the national govern
ment, especially in the upper house,
require drastic changes. 1t is safe to
saw that the procedure of the Congress
has progressed less with the times
than in any other business body in the
country. Yet it is upon the Congress
that every executive department must
wait. Appeals to the house and Sen
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