The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1920-10-22
Cardinal Gibbons
For Peace In The
Nations League
Baltimore Prelate SAYS
That If Such a League
Was in Existence
There Would Have
Been No War in 1914
--Other Clergymen for
the League.

tIIS AOd SuO.
New York, N. Y, Oct. 22-To the
list Of 5000 American clergymen
VINO have taken a firm stand for the
League of Nations is now added the
name of his eminence, James, Cardi-
nal Gibbons. who bases his support
Benedict declaring that all states |
SHOULD unite in one league the dis
tfngufshed prelate in an authorized
interview with Col. Stephen Bonsal of !
the Baltimore Sun published today
declined to discuss political condi-
tons, but talked freely about his
earnest desire for world peace.
Church bodies and Christian states
men generally have put themselves
behind the League of Nations as a
tremendous moral issue. In rerent
number of 1.-The Christian Work" it
was disclosed that a petition had been
isigned by $4,000 clergymen urging
prompt ratification of the Peace
party and the entrance of the United
States into the League of Nations.
Eight hundred and sixty clergymen
declined to sign the petition because
they opposed the League upon that
basis The ministers of the country
,are eighteen to one for the League of
Nations and Cardinal Gibbons joins
an imposing majority.
Colonel Bonsal notes that his emf
nence smiled as he spoke of his age
favor of very different world arrange
ments and of checks and balances to
use the words of our political fathers
from those that made possible what
happened in 1914. Do you recall
how it came there are a few letters
from foreign ministers half published
or not at all; a few kilograms ex-
/ changed between emperors and kings
/ and then rivers of blood began to
flow to the Niagara of suffering at
(which we were dumbfounded and al
most helpless. What most like and
highly value about the proposed
league is first the duty which it i'm
poses upon any and all nations You
must not rush headlong into this
thing in which we all run the danger
of being involved, we say You must
be frank, open and above board, you
must place your plans before the
world and they must and shall be
carefully weighed. Why, in my judg-
ment, this single new world regula-
tion will reduce wars to a minimum.
Second thought and careful consider
alton of steps to be undertaken are
imposed and on sober second thought
few will draw the sword, aand then
like and value that phrase and
declaration that it is the friendly
right of each member of the league
! to bring to the attention of the as
sembly or of the council any circum-
stances whatever affecting interna-
! tiona1 relations which threaten to dis
turb international peace or the good
understanding between nations upon
which peace depends
'It shall be the friendly light,
saike that immensely continued his
commence ''in the next decade-bet-
ter in the next ten months 1 hope it
will become the. friendly right and
the inevitable duty for all nations
to combine for the preservation of
peace. How often would wars have
been avoided If in the past we had
acted in this way and under this
been
our thought to speak to a sister
ton asking that conditions which
are brought with Bangor to the peace
of the world and which threaten our
broth should be removed and
we have desisted because we'll in
diplomatic language it would have
plan for delay. 1 like the solemn
agreement for the prevention of in
ternationa1 war which the covenant
stands for and of which in the words
you have just read his Holiness the
! Pope expressed his warm approval. So
with the great disaster behind us al
though we still sit in it's dark shad-
ows we should and which I believe
L. in danger, to maintain the inde-
pendence of the people within their
Just borders and to reduce if we can
not wholly abolish the burden of
military expenditure. Sitting as a
council of brethren with the shadow
of the great catastrophe still upon
us we should and have no doubt we
will draw nearer 10 one another and
take up in fraternal spirit, seri-
atm, those vexed questions that still
remain and which are a grave men
ace to the fellowship of the forward
looking God fearing, God loving ma
tions, these questions still threaten
the peace of the world that peace
whose blessings we are just begin
ming to enjoy again, the world is
very anxious, very weary, and many
millions of the worlds inhabitants are
today in most desperate plight. De-
lay is dangerous and it means con-
tinued cumulative suffering 1 know
that we will at early date accept our
evident responsibilities in the world
situation and at the same time make
perfectly clear what they are, once
our responsibility is clearly establish
the American people will not side
step. We will do our duty as we
: always have"
u Every shade of religious belief is
now represented among the clergy
men supporting the League of Ma
lions an analysis of the religious af-
- citations of the first 14,45O signers
Of the petition circulated by 1.-The
Christian Work" is as follows: Metho- =
/, DIST 1919. Congregational 1899;
fans 2,490; Luthern 444; Baptist ], =
748; Christian disciple of Christ)
y 1,163; Roman Catholics, 314; Jewish
1921; Universalist 1873; Unitarian
125; Episcopal S11; United Brethren
in Christ 321; Miscellaneous 1852
The states from which the largest
number of signers came were fol-
lows: New York 1,507; Pennsylvania
N 1877; Illinois 945; Ohio. 900; Mas
anchusetts 900; California 80 and
III Lava s5s-
H..