Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-11-11
Armistice Day
From Today $ New YORK world

Two wears ago today the world was
celebrating the signing of the ernistice-
the end Of the tho coming Of peace
that would Justify sacrifices that staggered
the human imagination. Today the world
is looking toward the future doubtfully
and apprehensively, wondering # the
ueaoe That WAS won at 80 terrible price
will ever be stabilized or attained.
So far as the United States j. con-
cerned. 10 is still in state Of war with
Germany. In the nineteen months and
FIVE DAYS that elapsed from April 4, 1917,
10 November III, 1918, this country raised
and equipped an army Of more than 4,-
600 600 men. transported 1000 600 troops
to France and by the sheer weight Of its
military ard economic power brought the
war 10 an end. In the twenty-four months
that have elapsed since the signing Of the
arrnistice we have been unable even 70
ratify 9 treaty Of peace that al the other
belligerents long ago accepted.
We have contributed nothing 70 the
reconstruction Of civilization except doubt
and turmoil and suspicion We alone have
intrlded party politics into the treaty OF
peace We alone have refused 70 recog-
nize any responsibilities or Obligations
arising from q victorious war. We alone
have broken faith with the dead
By common consent, the French, who
were magnificent IN adyerslty, have
proved themselves anything but mag
nifcent IN success, but the growing
ascendancy OF the French military and
reactionary elements would never have
come shout II the Urited States Senate
had not played Republican politics with
the treaty OF peace and defeated ratlhca-
ton. That unique offense has strengthen
ed the hand OF imperialism everywhere,
not only In France but in Great Britain,
Italy and Japan, while In Germany the
Junker forces now regard the certainty OF
a separate peace with the United States
as the longest single step toward the
ultimate overthrow Of the treaty OF Yer
sailles.
Much has been said both here and in
Europe about President Wilson's mis-
takes. but most of the indictments Of the
President reduce themselves on analysis 20
two counts namely, that he. was an
honest man who wanted peace that was
right and lust. and who believed that the
| American people would remain true to
| the ideals which they professed when they
entered the war. Those are the President 5
offenses.
The politicians who controlled the
| allied governments did not want peace
| of Justice. They wanted peace OF plum
| der. Germany was down, Central Europe
was DESTROYED, and their one thought was
not of the future but of the loot OF victory.
/ AT home the Republican Senators wanted
no peace at all with which the name OF
| Woodrow Wilson was identified. No mat
| fer what the terms of the Treaty OF YER
.ailles might have been, they would have
fought any other treaty as bitterly and as
viciouslv as they fought the treaty that
was submitted to them for ratification SIX
| teen months ago.
The dead and the living alike have
been defrauded in the two years that
| have passed since the armistice was sign
ed. The war that WAS fought TO end wal
| turns out to have been 8 war in which onC
kind of imperialism has been triumphant
over another kind of imperialism The
neace of the world IS still precarious be
cause government has failed in its supreme
obligation, and the record of no Other
government is SO shameful or 50 ineNcu-
able as that of the United States, repre-
sented in q Senate drunk with the raw
alcohol of a poisonous partisanship.
Two years ago the United States .occu
pied a place of prestige and influence IN th'
affairs of the world such rs no other ma
tion had ever attained We have nothinI
whatever to show for it now. Our hnan
cial and economic power is feared be
cause nobody knows how we may us
it: but otherwise we are distrusted ans
hated, and are without real friend II
the world Two years after the armlstice
that is what we have to show for our, sacri
fees.