Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1920-11-29
CHRISTIANITY AND THE
LEAGUE

During the Presidential campaign
fhere never was any don't that
great at,:sl issue was involved, OF
that Tho Democrats We're % the side
If world peace and morality. The
Republicans did not deny it. With
brutal frankness they declared that
they did not care about these things
They adopted the question OF Cam
cam my brothers keeper as
their campaign slogan. Thev~vote
against the League of Nations be-
cause if We joined it we might have
to act with other nations iniprevent-.
ing war, and they would rather
have a war come than help to pre-
vent it. They did not believe the war
would come here. and they did not
care whether there were var or not
elsewhere.
Well. it did not look in 1914 as II
dhe world war could possibly touch
As, but it did; so the Republican att!-
tude was as foolish as it was I'M
moral. The peace treaty and the
League of Nations were never urged
Sy their supporters on the ground
That it was our business to take care
of the rest of the world. but on the
ground that il was wise as we'll as
humane for US to join the. civilized
nations in preventing war because
any world war was likely to. involve
us. # &S M
:, There are Republicans who are
amenable to moral considerations
when a Presidential election is not
on. Their consciences cannot be en-
tirelv easy, and they will be- less easy
lis time passes and the Presidential
campaign recedes into the past. We
invite them to consider the de,lara-
ton Of the World Alliance for Inter
national Friendship Through the
Churches. This body of religious
men from % nations was termed in
1914, and attempted, to have a con,
yeution, but its first meeting was
cut short by the outbreak of the
world war. It has Just held con-
yention in Switzerland, and it adopt
ed message to all Christian people
urgin gthem Ito use their Influence
10 make the League of Nations
great moral power The address
says:
We believe that the alternative -
the League can be nothing else thar
a crushing increase in competitive
armament in all nations. and des-
I.erate preparation for war more
deadly and destructive than anything
the world has seen.
The worlds armaments are now
larger than they were before 1914,
although Germany and Austria Hun
gary have been disalmed. The small
nations would feel safer # the big
nations would reduce their arma-
ments, and they he% them 10 do this.
but the large nations reply that It
Is zoo soon disarmament cannot
come yet.
And we need not search long Tor
the reason for this. The Unltet
States is not Il member of the
League, and its army and navy are
far larger than they were before
the war. We must have q big army
and navy if we are to stand outside
the League, and if the greatest ma
ton in the world Increases liz arma-
ment the other large nations do not
feel safe in reducing theirs.
Thanks to the Republican party we
are blocking the reduction Of arma,
nents and are keeping the world an
armed camp, with the certainty Of
future wars. The present League can
do much to avert war, but without
us It's power for good must be great
IL limited. The representative reilly
ious men Of 23 nations plead for the
strengthening Of the League, but the
Republicans have Just voted that
the rest of the world may go hang;
we can take care Of ourselves.