The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-10-27
TALKS
ON LEAGUE
CONTINUED from page g.

ON LEAGUE
(Continued from page g.
sary sacrifice OF their beloved ones
IL we do not make it as certain as
IL can be made that no similar sacrl-
flee will be demanded Of mothers and
sisters and wives in the future. This
duty is so plain that it seems to me
to constitute a primary demand upon
the conscience of every one of us. IL
Is inconceivable to most OF us that
any men should have been so false
or so heartless as to declare that the
women of the country would again
have to suffer the intolerable burden
and priyation Of war if the league or
nations were adopted. The league
Of nations Is the well considered ef-
fort of the whole group OF nations
who were opposed to Germany to Sc
cure themselves and the rest of man
kind against repetition of the war.
1t will have back of it the watchful.
ness and material force of all these
nations, and is such guarantee OF
a peaceful future as no well-informod
man can question who does not doubt
the whole spirit with which the war
was conducted against Germany. The
great moral Influence of the United
States will be absolutely thrown away
IL we do not complete the task which
our soldiers and sailors so heroically
undertook to execute.
Article Ten.
Zone thing ought to be said, and
said very clearly, about article ten
of the covenant of the league OF ma
lions. 1t is the specific pledge OF
the members of the league that they
will unite to resist exactly the things
which Germany attempted, no matter
who attempts them in the future. 1t
is as exact a definition as could be
given in general terms Of the out
rage which Germany would have
committed if it could. Germany vio-
lated the territorial integrity of her
neighbors and flouted their political
independence in order to aggrandize
herself and almost every war OF
history has originated in such de-
signs. 1t is significant that the ma
lions of the world should have at
last combined to define the general
cause Of war and to exercise such
concert as may be necessary to pre-
vent such methods. Article ten,
therefore, is the specific redemption
OF the pledge which these free gov
ernments of the world gave to their
people when they entered the war
They promised their people not only
in that Germany would be prevented
from carrying out her plot, but that
the world would be safeguarded in
the future from similar designs. We
have now to chose whether we will
make good or quit. We have joined
issue, and the issue is between the
spirit and purpose of the United
States and the spirit and purpose of
Imperialism, no matter where it /
shows itself The spirit Of imperial |
ism is absolutely opposed to free Cow
eminent, to the safe life of free ma |
lions, to the development OF peace i
hui industry and to the completion
Of the righteous processes Of civiliza- /
,hon. It seems to me, and / think it |
will seem to you, that it is our duty
to show the indomitable will and ire
sistible majesty of the high purpose
Of the United States, SO that the
part we played in the war as soldiers |
and sailors may be crowned with the /
one who opposes the ratification of !
the treaty OF Versailles and the adop-
ton of the covenant of the league of /
nations has proposed any other ade- |
quate means of bringing about set |!
tied peace. There is no other avail !
able or possible means, and this !
means is ready to hand. They have,
on the contrary, tried to persuade |
you that the very pledge contained !
in article ten, which is the essential |
pledge of the whole plan Of security,
is itself threat of war 1t is, on
the contrary, an assurance of the |.
concert of all the free peoples of the
world in the future, as in the recent
past, to see justice done and hui .
manity protected and INDICATED.
This is the true, the cal American.
ism. This is the role of leadership
and championship of the right which
the leaders Of the republic intended
that it should play. The so-called ,
Americanism which We hear so much
prating about now is spurious, in !
vented for party purposes only. /
This is the supreme choice of the
present campaign. 1t is regretable
that the choice should be associated
with party contest. AS compared
with the choice of course of action
that now underlies every other. the
fate of parties is a matter of indif-
ference. Parties are significant now
IN this contest, because the voters
must make up their minds which of
the two parties is most likely to Sc
cure the Indispensable result. The
nation was never called upon to
make a more solemn determination
than it must now make. The whole