The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-06-08
PEACE AT ANY PRICE

PEACE AT ANY PRICE
DR.. NJ. Ashby Jones in Atlanta Con-
stitution.
Woodrow Wilson stands out today
as the most conspicuously lonely fig
ure in the world. The outlines Of his
personality are clearly silhouetted
against the darkened background of
a well-nigh universal disapproval
What contrast to the ''conquering
hero" in Europe in the early days Of
1919! Has the man changed or has
the world changed?
! Article X.
: And it is all because of Article K.
How he planned and pleaded for Ar
ticle x! How he has fought and en-
dured for Article x. And now hard
" up from a bed of sickness, where he
almost died for Article X, we find him
still carrying on" for this funda-
mental thing for which he claims he
led this people into war.
! Is this man who stands today so
straight and tall, and unyielding a
gainst the pressure of the most tre-
mendous tide of influence which has
ever been brought to bear against one
man, just an unusually stubborn man!
History has not always selected her
heroes from the leaders Of the major
itv, nor is she wont to choose as her
highest ones those who have bended
to the storm of popular opposition.
Rather has she chosen the man who
after the long days fierce contention
irrevocably marries himself to his
high and holy principle, declaring
"Here stand l, can do no other. So
help me God"
The Wilson Viewpoint.
: Is Woodrow Wilson such man,
is Article x such a principle? At
least we must listen while he states
his own conception of the issue.
eff Article X is not adopted and
acted upon the governments which re-
ject it will, think, be guilty Of bad
faith to their people, whom they in
duced to make the infinite sacrifices
of the war by the pledge that they
would be fighting to redeem the
world from the old order of force and
aggression . We would have
learned no lesson from the war, but
gained only the regret that it had
involved US in it's maelstrom of suf-
fering."
And this is the afterthought pen
ned by Mr.. Wilson since the making
of the treaty. That is just what he
said when he led US a united militant
force Of crusaders into the war. And
at that time we said so, too. What a
solemn amen from the lips Of the
American people rolled over the seas
to hearten the hard-pressed forces OF
freedom. ~.
Demand For Ratification.
But all of that seems so long ago.
The armistice has been signed for a
wear and a half. The future of busi-
ness is uncertain, and the world is
all in a ferment of unrest. The cry
is ratify the treaty, with or without
reservations. Only ratify. 1t is the
cry Of the war-weary, who would
have peace at any price.
To the average man, quarrel in
whose issues he cannot see his own
immediate interests involved is a
useless quarrel, which should be, got
ten out of the way. Thus he
views the controversy about Article
K. It's a quarrel about words, and
he wants the world made safe for
business. But just here is the issue.
MIR. Wilson contends that peace
without the principle Of Article K
will not mean peace but war, and
that without it the world will not be
safe for business or anything else
worth doing. He says:
Keeping Faith.
"Any league Of nations which does
not guarantee as matter OF incon-
testable right the political indepen-
dence and integrity of each of its
members, might hardly be more than
a futile scrap Of paper, as ineffective
in it's operation as the agreement be-
tween Belgium and Germany"
I If Woodrow Wilson believes this
to be true-and for the moment am
not arguing the correctness of his
Judgments he not justified IN
standing immovable? His letter to
Mr.. Hitchcock is not the utterance OF
stubbornness nor the outburst of
angered egotism. 1t is the calm de-
a1,r