Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1920-09-09

ance to the stricken peoples OF Eu-
rope. / include all of them and
speak with genuinely sympathetic
heart, whether 1t is to mention de-
vastated France, or sorely Italy,
or ncbly-struggling Poland, or dis
tracted and misguided Russia, or gal
liant little Belgium, or pitiably deceived
Austria, or the ruthless invader, Ger
many, which came TO the supreme
tragedy through q leadership which
brought disaster to her misguided peo-
Pile
1T was with that feeling Of sym
patty and desire to serve, thai most
reluctantly and with grave misgivings,
as I announced at the. time, | with
reservations designed to preserve our
essential liberty of action. The rec
ord is made, and under the same con-
ditions, confronted by the same alter
native, I should vote now as l voted
then.
Conditions Have Changed.
but the conditions have changed.
Experience has brought enlighten-
ment We know now that the league
constituted at Versailles is utterly i'm
potent as a preventive of wars. 1t Is
so obviously impotent that it has not
even been tried. The original league,
mistakenly conceived and unreason-
ably insisted upon, has undoubtedly
passed beyond the possibility of res
Ind
| the world will be that 1t deserved to
| pass for the very simple reason that,
contrary to all Of the tendencies devel-
oped by the civilizing processes of the
world, 1t rested upon the power Of
might, not of right.
"The assertion is made frequently
| that through the surrender of our ma
| tionality we might have saved the life
| of the covenant--that is to say, that,
although twenty-eight nations could
! not make 1t function, one added to the
twenty-eight would have achieved a
| glowing success, provided. always, that
| the one We're America.
"This pays to America the tribute
| of exceptional influence, but | suggest
| that if the world is dependent upon our
] action to bring about the supreme real
ization, then we ought TO have the say
! about our own freedom In participant
| ing therein. But let us consider what
is meant by this reliance upon Ameri-
ca What can II signify If not that
! il IS to the United States, and to the
| United States alone, that the other
twenty-eght nations look for the bone
/ and sinew, the money, the munitions
/ and the men to sustain the entire or
ganizarion, not as an agency of peace,
but as an armed force?
A Telling Admission.
"a few days ago delegation OF an
organization which calls itself q So
! ciety for the Prevention of War ap-
/ pealed TO the premier of Great Britain
/ to unite and use the powers Of the
world in defense Of Poland, Armenia
/ and the Dardanelles. The British pre-
mier replied according to his remarks
/ quoted by the newspapers, to the eff
I feet that, while the formation of an
International army would be an ideal
!
ed because the European nations could
not furnish the troops and the United
States had withdrawn from co-opera-
tion'-a polite and diplomatic phrase
and more exactly meaning, of course
that the senate of the United States
had not completed the partial obiga-
ton assumed by the President to do
that very thing-that is, TO furnish the
troops Could a clearer indication Of
what would have been expected of this
country as member of the league be
desired? Hardly. Some, too, think, or
say they think, that this extraordinary
service should be rendered. I do not
agree with them, but, assuming that
they are right, I venture to note that
nothing stands in the way of perform
ance. The President has only to call
upon Congress to declare war, and to
confer upon him specific authority to
raise armies for the protection of the
powers which, though recently asso-
| clated with, are still foreign to our
own republic.
ut is reasonably safe to assume,
/ however, that the President will not
pursue this course Fortunately, he
is under no compelling moral obliga-
ton under the league to do so. His
/ recent unhappy experience, moreover,
In asking Congress to send American
boys TO police Armenia would hardly
encourage repetition Of request al
ready courteously but quite firmly de-
clined by the Congress. What then, in
like circumstances, would be the an
swer of the British premier himself?
In his own words, addressing a meet
ing of the Coalition Liberals on Au-
gust II last, according to the press
reports, he said:
"When the terrible question OF
peace or war has 10 he decided, our
frst duty as n government Is to the
people, who trust us not to commit
their treasure to any unjustifable adj
venture Nothing hut the most lmpera-
tive call of national honor, national