The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1920-09-08

speak with genuinely sympathetic
heart, whether it is to mention de-
vastated France, or sorelytried Italy,
or noby-struggling Poland, or dis
tracted and misguided Russia, or gal
liant little Belgium, or pitia5ly deceived
Austria, or the ruthless invader, Ger
many, which came to the supreme
tragedy through a leadership which
brought disaster to her misguided peo-
pie.
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, l 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, should vote now as | 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
I passed beyond the possibility Of res
! tOration. The maturer judgment OF
the world will be that it deserved to
! pass for the very simple reason that,
contrary to all of the tendencies devel-
Oped by the civilizing processes of the
world, it rested upon the power of
! might, not of right
1.-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 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 suggest
that if the world is dependent upon our
action to bring about the supreme real
iZatiOn, then we ought to have the say
dDOul Jul U" II lIttuolH III
ing therein. But let us consider what
is meant by this reliance upon Ameri-
ca. 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 or
min 49,
but as an armed force?
A Telling Admission.
"a few days ago a delegation Of an
organization which calls itself 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 Dardaneles. The British pre-
mier replied, according to his remarks
quoted by the newspapers. to the eff
feet that, while the formation of AN
international army would be IAN ideal
solution it could not be accomplish
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 obliga
ton assumed by the President to do
that very thins-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 | 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 asS0- |
ciated 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 obIiga-
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 to be decided, our
first duty as government is to the
people, who trust US not TO commit
their treasure to any unjustifable ad-
venture Nothing but the most impera-
tive call of national honor. national
safety and national freedom can JUS
tify war. Before this country is COM
mitted to it, even in the most limited