Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-01-09


ant. This nation entered into the
great wa. to vindicate its own rights
and to protect and preserve free gov
eminent. 1t went into the war to
see it through to the end, and the
end has not yet come. 1t went into
the war to make an end of mllltar-
ism, TO furnish guarantees to weak
nations, and to make just and 'ast-
ing peace. 1t entered it with noble
enthusiasts. Five of the leading bel
ligerents have accepted the treaty
and formal ratification will soon be
exchanged. The question is whether
this country will enter and enter
intellectually If it does not do so,
the United States and Germany Will
play lone hand in the world. The
maintenance of peace of the world
and the effective execution of the
treaty depend upon the whole-heart-
ed participation of the United States.
am not stating it as a matter of pow
er. The point is that the United States
is the only nation which has sufficient
moral force with the rest of the world
to guarantee the substitution of dis
cussion for war. If we keep out of
this agreement, if we do not give our
guarantees, then another attempt will
be made to crush the new nations of
Europe.
% &c NrTh of
the people of this country wish or will
be satisfied with. Personally, | do
not accept the action of the Senate of
the United States as the decision of
the nation. l have asserted from the
first that the overwhelming majority
OF the people of this country desire
the ratification of the treaty, and my
impression to that effect has recently
been confirmed by the unmistakable
evidences of public opinion given dur
ing my visit to seventeen of the
states. | have endeavored to make
it plain that if the Senate wishes to
say what the undoubted meaning of
the League is, l shall have no OBJ
lection.
o. KS Interpreted Gus.
There can be no reaso Die objec-
ton to interpretations &C, npanying
the act of ratification it, It. But
when the treaty is acted up, / must
know whether it means that we have
ratified or rejected it. We cannot
re-write this treaty. We must take it
without changes which alter its mean
ing, or leave it, and then, after the
rest of the world has signed it, we
must face the unthinkable task of
making another and separate kind of
treaty with Germany. But no more
assertions with regard to the wish and
opinion of the country are credited.
If there is any doubt as to what the
people of the country think on this
vital matter, the clear and single way
out is to submit it for determination
at the next election to the voters of
the nation, to give the next election
the form of a great and solemn refer
endum, referendum as to the part
the United States is to play in COM
pletlng the settlements of the war
and IN the prevention in the future of
such ourages as Germany attempted
to perpetrate. We have no more
moral right to refuse now to take
part in the execution and admins
tratlon of these settlements than we
had to refuse to take part in the
fighting of the last few weeks of the
war which brought victory and made
1t possible to dictate to Germany what
the settlement should be. Our f.
deity to our associates in the war is
in question and the whole future of
mankind. 1t will be heartening to
the whole world to know the attitude
and purpose of the people of the
United States.
Democracy Unvindicated.
81 spoke just now of the spiritual
leadership of the United States think
ing of international affairs. But there
IS another spiritual leadership which
is open to US and which we can as
sumo. The world has been made safe
for Democracy, but Democracy has
not been finally indicated. All sorts
of crimes are being committed in its
name, all sorts of prepo erous per-
versions of its doctrines a practices
are being attempted. To, in nv
judgment, is to be the great privilege
of the Democracy of the United
States, to show that it can lead the
way in the solution of the great So
cial and industrial problems of our
time and lead the way to a happy
settled order of life as well as to DO
Hical liberty. The program for this
achievement we must attempt to for
mulate, and in carrying it out we shall
do more than can be done in anv
othersway to sweep out of existence
the tyrannous and arbitrary forms of
power which are now masquerading
under the name of Dopular povarr.