Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1920-10-01

discredit the Intelligence and discrimi-
nation of the great mass Of American
people who directly, by their vote,
pat us in our positions of trust. For
myself, | yield to no man in willing
hess, aye, in eagerness, to render the
greatest conceivable assistance to the
stricken peoples Of Europe. l include
all Of them and speak with q. genu-
inely sympathetic heart, whether it 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 a 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 1 announced at the time, with
reservations designed to preserve our
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 1 voted
then.
But the conditions have changed
Experience has brought enlightenment
We know now that the league consti-
tuted at Versailles IS utterly impotent
as a preventive of wars. 1t is so OBJ
viously impotent that it has not even
been tried. The original league, mis-
takenly conceived and unreasonably
insisted upon, has undoubtedly passed
beyond the possibility Of restoration.
The maturer judgment of the world
viii be that it deserved to pass for
the very simple reason that, contrary
to all Of the tendencies developed by
the civilizing processes Of the world,
it rested upon the power Of might, not
of right.
THE assertion is made frequently
that through the surrender of our ma
we might have saved the life
of the coyenant-that is to say, that,
although twenty-eight nations could
not make it function, one added to the
twenty-eight would have achieved
glowing success, provided, always, that
the one were America.
This pays to America the tribute
of exceptional influence. But l sug-
gest that if 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
upon America. What can
it 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-
zation, not as an agency of peace, but
as an armed force?
"A few days ago a delegation Of
IN organization, which calls itself
/ society for the prevention of war,
appealed to the premier of Great
Britain to unite and use the powers
If the world in defense of Poland,
Armenia and the Dardanelles. The
British premier replied, according to /
lis remarks quoted by the newspap- /
RS, TO the effect that, while the :
ormation of an international army /
you'd be AN ideal solution it could
ot be accomplished because the
european nations could not furnish /
he troops and the United States had .
from co-operation'-a
olite and diplomatic phrase and
lore exactly meaning, of course, that
be senate of the United States had
OF completed the partial obligation
by the President to do that
cry thing-that is, to furnish the
oops. Could a cleaner indication
f what would have been expected
T this country as a member of the
ague be desired. Hardly. Some,
o, think or say they think, that this
service should be rem
cred. 1 do not agree with them,
1t, assuming that they are right,
,nture to note that nothing stands
the way of performance. The Presi-
mt has only TO call upon Congress
declare war, and to confer upon
m specific authority to raise armies
T the protection of the powers
hich, though recently associated
it'll, are still foreign to our own re-
Iblic. {
1T is reasonably safe to assume,
viewer, that the President will not
rsue this course. Fortunately, he c
under no compelling moral obliga- c
N under the league to do so. His a
cent unhappy experience, more
er, in asking Congress to send b
nerican boys to police Armenia ?
uld hardly encourage repetition Of 0
request already cOurteOusly, but il
tie firmly declined by the Congress. p
nat then in like circumstances, s
uld be the answer of the British Il
smier himself? In his own words, Is
iressing a meeting of the coalition