New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1920-10-22
"A PERPLExED DEMOCRAT"
Copy of letter written BY LEE
MERIWETHER, Special Assist
ant Ambassad,r TO France dur
ing 1916, 1917, 1918.

as comforting counsel.
| come as near BE- ng a Democrat
by birth as a man may be, being
horn in the South where during my
boyhood it was deemed disgraccful
10 be a Republican. Even in 1896
when man Democrats LIFT the par
" | spoke and voted for BRYAN;
.or the differences then were mere
ly economic, not, as now, over a
matter affecting the very fe o, The
republic.
IN both 1912 and 1910 | enthu,i-
astically supported Wilson for presi-
dent. His administrat on conferred
upon me a post OF some dignity
Especial Assistant tn the Ambas-
sad0r TO France in 1910, 1877, and
1871 Naturally this did not lessen
my esteem for the President, and
my respect for his wisdom and pa
,r;otism increased when at the un-
Yelling OF John Barry monumen!
he declared:
America need not, and should
rot, form ar alliance " tn ANY ma
ton on earth"
Then from his seven months 50
ioiIh dlilOiI- iAiDEN > pObN IldlNN
and princes President Wilson re
'urred to America carrying in his
.ockyt a reputation of Washing
tons wise counsel to avoid foreign
cntanglements, and a repud atom OF
his W. endorsement OF that conn
sci. From its own demand that
Amer ca must not form an alliance
with ANY nation on earth, irc,i-
dent Wilson departed 50 far as to
demand an alliarcN with THIRTY
ONE nations. And the covenant he
asked the Senate 20 ratify b ndS
America t.
Preserve as against eNternal AZ
erosion thc territorial inteGrit,
Of all members OF the
League
Tn s imposes b"tn iepal and a
moral Obligation on the I'm ted
States TO defend the territorial in
dependence OF every nation On earth
hat Is now. or tlat may hereaft :
become. a member of the League.
Gov. Coz makes light OF assuming
20 tremendous an obligation because
before tn obligation can be carried
out. Congress would have to de
clare war. This is as convincing
4; it would be 20 assert Il matters
not how many billion bonds arc
issued by the Treasury Department.
brCauS, no taxes can be levied 10
pa, the bondsrunlcNs Congress en-
acts taxation laws, Whether Con-
qress lcvies taxes or not, the oh
legation to pay the bonds Mill re
main. Aud whether to1gr IS de
%tlJrcS war or not. i AWcrica agrees
to protect foreign kinpdoms ari
empires from attack, 'hcn when one
Of those nations is attacked thct
viii be but one way 10 keep t'r
national iaith-that viii be 70 d
our hes. 10 thrash he apEreS'ur
And this VT Shall have to do even
though our sympath s he cu'ir
tith he nation committing tn, a.
:ack. Article \ makes no cXcep-
lions in special cases, ii is a hard
and fast o~bligation 10 preserve ALI.
members II the League from *
iernal aggression That President
Wilson knows his Covenant means
tbs i, PLAIN from what he said to
the Roumau an delegates in Paris a.
the eighth plcnarv session Of The
peace conference The Official stem
graphic rrpgr. quotes him Tins
you must not forget that It j,
force which j. ibc inal guarantee
II the public peac II ;h,
world j. again truublcd the
guarantee yis"u q means that ih'
Omitted STATES y u lend TO This tthc
Eufopcaul sid, 81 ,hc uc their
.ruV and the. fleet
Thus. according 90 The President
himself. our a-rs viii bc SEM 10
Europe. MT IT aud Wien A'ncrica',
inter- sis. duty ~ honor atc mv0i'
ID bus whence the world l.
troubled AGAIN W. did weil 3,
fight Germany. a military coln.,u,
which had sunk our ships and
murdered orr citizens, a giant en-
uire wh ch, lad IL mastered EUROPE,
Vould have sought to master us.
Pa 81, Nr & TCE t. scrd ON
ann 20 En.ore every time thc
world IS troul'ci' wholly regard
less 81 %hr,l Americas interest.
are involved ID two European
norarchies er.fft' o.. glr Loot
a.. Italy and ago >la9ia qaarrel,t
over Fiume. - Poland and Russia
~. even a,w ;a1.-rling or r pr
,iuors and boundary lines a. od.'
ern Europe-no doubt. such >orlri
greed trouble -Et world. hut IS
vase. Is II nRit' ina The blood ~
American boys s.all b. she'd ia sue
alien quarters. Had The senate
.,Artd on he i,ittd Inc the B.
pi y. { Caan,'i SIT ng somewhef,
~ Europe. would D demanding 90
this very hour that Americas ARM
should tt sent a. light Tor Poland
When my one and only son, aged
seventeen. vent, 20 France 10 DO his
bit" in the void war, though NJ,
loss would nave larkcned the Nori.
f5r me. ! let him 90 gladly 70
Amerca', honor aud safety we're a.
stake. But ] should not Willingly
give ny sou., ] sould not give any
Amer can son "a Die Tor Poland, o.
for any country % Gods green eartr
except my " beloved United
lnited States OF America.
The President's hague commits
America 70 meddling IN the affair
Of the Old Morld IN other dangerous
ways. Only recently the President
demanded that ge undertake a
Mandate" for Armenia. Mr.. Wi
son optimisiicslly links hat 60Or
American sidicrs aud apDsDi4
Amer can dollars will set the Man
date through n1iiap experts say
u vii require Al last epJ9s soldiers
and g, cral billion dollars Men mar
~syrnpathiz Nth Armenia, As they
shorld syupatnizc with al oppressed
peoplcs But America can best
-erve mankind. a. aIl a. itself. ~
cortinu rg 10 offer the world . shin
NJ example % . great haDps. f-r
republic II - iritter away our
strength poiioHG nations al the cni
81 the earth Ne shah destroy on,
selves xiibout tclping the word.
il was q gr1ci % lind srch anna