The Taney County republican., 1920-09-09

Uncle Sam: shake, Wa
ITO assert, as some have asserted
heedessly, that those OF US who honest
ly believe that America cRn besl
serve al! 'pGHklpd as A!ScYlca, free
and untrammeled, rather than as one
In q pltiable minority among many
states In merged world government,
lack consciousness Of the rightfuI de-
mands of humanity, is to utter o gross
and unpRrdonable libel. To attribute
meanness to those of US who, in the
performance Of our public duty, re
fused to participate in what we SIN
cerely regarded as betrayal Of oul
own country In the interest Of others,
IS to dissredlt the intelligence and
discrimination Of the great mass of
American people who directly, by
their votes put us in our positions Of
trust. For myself. yield to no man
In willingness, aye, In eogerness 10
render the greatest conceivable assist.
ance to the stricken peoples of Eu'
rope. include all Of them and
speak with a genuinely sympathetic
heart, whether II Is to mention de.
vpstated France, or sorely-tried Italy,
or nobly-strugglng Poland, or dis
tracted and misguided Russia, or gal
liant little Belgium, or pltiably 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.
at was with that feeling OF SYM
pathy and desire to serve, that most
reluctantly and with grave misglylngs
as ! announced at the time, | with
reservations designed to preserve our
essential liberty Of action. The rec.
ord is made, and under the same con
dltions. confronted by the same alter
native, should vote now as ! voted
then.
Conditions Have Changed.
"But the conditions have changed
Experience has brought enlightcn'
ment. We know now that tie league
constituted at Versailles Is utterly I'm
potent ms preventive of wars. II Is
80 obviously lmpotent that It has not
even been tried. The original league,
mistakenly conceived and unreOson'
ably insisted upon, has undoubtedly
passed beyond the possibility nj res.
toratlon. The maturer judgment Of
the world will be that II deserved 10
pass for the very simple reason that.
contrary TO all Of the tendencies devel'
oped hy the civilizing processes Of the
world II rested upon the power OF
might, not Of right.
"The assertion Is made frequently
that through the surrender of nur na
tionality we might have saved the life
Of the covennnt-that is TO say, TINT
although twpnty-clght nations could
not make Il function one added 20 the
twenty-eight would have achieved \
glowing success, provided always, that
the one we're America
"Thls pays to america the tribute
Of exceptional Influence but ! suggest
tbat II the world &c dependent upon Oui
action to bring about the supreme real
izatiOn, then we ought TO have he say
about our own freedom IN pariiC'pat.
ing therein. But ut ur consider what
Is meant by this reliance upon Ameri'
ca. What can II signify II not that
II is TO the United States, md TO the
United States alone, that the Otlpr
tweDty-pigh nations look for the bone
and sinew. the money, he munitions
and the men TO sustain the entire or
ganlzation not rs an agency 0f peace,
but as an armed fOrce7
A Telling Admission.
"a few days ago / delegation Of an
organization which talls Itself SO
ciety for the Prevention Of Var ap.
pealed to the premier Of Great Britain
TO unite and use the powers OF ihe
world IN defense Of Poland Armenia
and the Dardanelles The British pTe.
mler replied. according TO his remarks
quoted by he newspapers, TO the ef'
feet thni. while the formation Ut an
international army would be an Ideal
solution. it could not be accomplish
ed because the European nations could
not furnish the troops and the United