The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1921-03-04
WITHOUT A FRIEND.
New York Worldly

New York WORLDLY
''This country, with the possible
exception of China, which is involved
in a great deal of trouble at home,
has not a friend among the nations
of the EARTH" The author of that
opinion is Representative Kahn,
Chairman of the House Committee
on Military Affairs, and the abviOus
answer is: why should the United
States expect to have any friends?
What is it doing to earn anybody's
friendship?
When the armistice was signed this
country had no enemies except among
the Central Powers, and in spite of
the inevitable disappointments of
peace-making, the signing of the
Treaty of Versailles found the United
States the one Nation that everybody
trusted, the one Nation in which all
other nations had confidence.
That trust and that confidence are
now shattered. For nearly two years
the Congress of the United States,
and especially the Senate, has de-
voted itself almost exclusively to the
task of alternating this country's
friends.
| 1t might be expected that the Allies
would be grateful to us for supplying
the force that brought the war to an
end, but Mr.. Harding himself has as
sured them that we entered the con-
fiict only from low and sordid mo-
tives. We did not fight for great
principle, according to him, but to
save our own skins.
We have not rested content with
rejecting the Treaty of Versailles
and the covenant Of the League Of
Nations, thereby making it impossible
to stabilize the peace that was bought
in rivers of blood, but our attitude
toward our former associates in war
has been one of contempt and deri-
sion. Day after day during the Sem
ate debate on the peace treaty Presi-
dent Wilson was pictured as the igno-
rant accomplice of a gang of crooks
who were engaged, figuratively
speaking, in looting the corpses left
on the field of battle.
We have abandoned the French,
who desired above everything else
our counsel and our help in putting
their affairs in order. All they are
going to get from the Harding Adj
Iministration is higher tariff on their
imports to the United States.
The only two countries left which
have the power to be of great help
or great hindrance to US are Great
Britain and Japan, and both of them
are habitually insulted by American
politicians. There is not a demago-
igue in Congress who does not feel
free to attack either of them when
ever he thinks it will help him with
any of his hyphenated constituents.
The attitude of the Senate toward
the peace treaty has been consistent
ly pro-German-not openly and
avowedly pro-German, but sneaking-
ly and evasively and unintentiOnally
pro-German. In consequence we have
not obtained even the dubious salts
faction of awakening a friendly feel
ing on the part of the German people.
We have irritated everybody, and
benefited nobody, least of all our
selves.
Our best customer, next to Great
Britain, is Canada. Congress lis now
trying to enact a fraudulent tariff
law directed in the main against
Canada's agricultural products, an(
the Canadian press is earnestly advo
eating reprisals.
Secretary Colby has been to South
, America to establish better relation.
with the Latin-American republics
but on the day that the Latin-Amer
} lean Diplomatic Corps in Washington
, formally congratulated the Secretar!
/ of State on the success of his mission
, the Argentine Parliament to penaliz'
{La Cfofo ~
case the Fordney Emergency Tariff.
Bill was passed by Congress.
Japan is still pathetically anxious
: to adjust all its differences with tn
United States, most of which hav'
their origin in California, but all tn,
sand-lots Senators are preparing t.
destroy the treaty that Ambassador
Morris has negotiated with the repre-
5 sentatives of the Japanese Govern
t ment, and they will oppose any treat!
: with Japan simply because it is
: treay with Japan.
: We have sandbagged the treaty o.
h. peace and the League of Nations
We have ASSOCIATED. ourselves from
all responsibility for what follows tn
war. We have gambled in Europe
suffering and anguish. We have con
I tributed nothing toward the economic
5 stability of the world. We have in
suited everybody who waited to b.
. insulted, and are preparing nava
programme that surpasses the wildes
dreams of the Hohenzollerns, ant
then we wonder why we have M
friends.
, There is not a nation in the worlt
that does not desire our friendship
there is not nation but wishes to b.
on the most amicable terms with us
yet we are systematically driving
} them all away and inviting them t.
combine against us. This is what tw'
brief years of partisan politics ha
accomplished in the way of promoting
, international animOsity, and all tn
: moral responsibility rests upon tn
, Republican leaders of Congress. Thi
is their handiwork.