Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1920-09-22
EUROPE VISITOR
AGAINST LEAGUE
II. o. Marsh, of Decorah Gets Letter
From Friend i'm Chicago Just
Back From Europe, Who
Tells of Conditions %
There
He Is STRONG AGAINST
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
If Every Voter Here Could Have
Taken His Trip There Would
Not be a Single American
Vote for League Candi-
date

B. o. Marsh received a business
letter last week from James H.
Boye, Of Chicago, who just arrived
rome from Europe, and we are per-
mitted to quote part of the letter
here. Mr.. Bcye married a Decorah
girl, a Miss Engstrom, her father
having at one time been employed
here in the Lutheran Publishing
House. Mr.. Boye certainly gives the
League of Nations a hard slap. The
letter follows:
Sept. 2, 1920.
Mr.. b. o. Marsh,
Marsh Music Store,
Decorah, Iowa,
My Dear Benz
Replying to your recent letter, l
returned from Europe a short time
ago. Had a very successful business
trip, although I.did not spend much
time in sightseeing. I. however, put
in a couple of days after l returned
from Germany in trying to find
some ruins which We read so much
about in Belgium and after driving
all over in every direction, l finally
located the destroyed portions which
/ was informed consisted of about
eight miles wide and ten miles long
and which included the town of
Ypres and Dixmande. Outside of
that / did not see or find anything
that looked as If it had been des-
troyed. The entire country was un-
der cultivation and everybody SEEM
ed to be prosperous and happy.
In Germany tie conditions were
also very much better than i had ex-
pected to find them. OF course, there
is great deal of poverty there, es-
pecially among the poor and the
children are very weak and thin.
Business, however, is going on quite
briskly and the people seem to
have determined that they are 60
ing to maintain their republic and
run their own affairs by the will Of
the majority.
England is manufacturing goods
faster than l have ever seen her
work before and it appeared to me
that the main thing in England was
making money and getting all out
OF everything they could.
This is short explanation of the
entire situation and from it you can
almost draw the entire condition. l
am more than ever convinced since
returning from Europe that it would
be a calamity for the American peo-
ple to- enter into any league with the
European nations through which we
might become entangled in their
political affairs. They are a different
people from the Americans and much
more clannish.
As an illustration, l would say,
take and mix into one block a family
OF Dagos. a family OF French, q
family of English, a family of Ger
nans, a family of Russians, a family
OF Irish, a family of Scandinavians,
couple of families of Chinese and
a family of Japs. l want to ask you
how many American policemen you
would put around that block to
keep it in order and that is about
the situation on a bigger scale if
we mix in, in my opinion. was
against the League Plan before | left
for Europe and a good deal like the
man who did not care particularly
to meet a grizzly bear even with a
rifle and now / am like the fellow
who met him and has the shivers. /
think 1T is every Americans duty TO
not only vote against any man of a
league advocate whether he is run
ming for President, Senator Repre-
sentative or even Alderman, but to
work and get as many votes turned
to the American side of the issue as
he possibly can.
II every man. voter in the U. s.
could have had the little trip | made
this summer, there would not be a
single American vote cast for a
League candidate.
Your sincere friend,