Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-09-08
COUNTRY IS NOT
GOING TO PIECES
BECAUSE WE ARE NOT MEMBER
OF WORLD CLUB COUNTRY
Is STILL INDEPENDENT

|
"You just bet your life we are at
peace with Germany, and not only
| that but we are also at peace without
having been tied up with the world
club and a thousand other things
that would have happened to us IL
we had agreed to the treaty drawn
up in Paris"
Jack was at it again. this time
tickled to death over the fact that
the peace treaty has been signed
with Germany without the United
States becoming part of the world
club.
Yes, Jack" spoke up Uncle Ted,
1--WE are at peace with Germany.
The treaty, which gives the contents
of the act of Congress of July 2,
1921, declaring the war to be at an
end, has been signed. We are not
a member of the world club, which
would have destroyed American in
dependence gained through years of
effort. Our country has not fallen
to pieces because of this, even
though some would have us think
so.
when Congress convenes Sep
TENDER 81, the Senate will undoubt-
eddy ratify the treaty at once and
then President Harding will prob
ably issue a proclamation. What
else could we do, Riddles, and remain
true to the traditions of our country,
which count more than anything else
in the world? BY this treaty we
gain all the good points of the YER
sailles treaty, but we are not bound
by those parts which would have
forced us into alliances with nearly
every country on the globe.
There is as much difference be-
tween the treaty President Wilson
signed at Paris and the one Just
signed by our representative in Ber-
lin as there is between the meetings
of the world club and the ornaments
conference which has been called by
President Harding TO meet in Wash
ington to discuss some Of the most
important problems in the history of
the world. We have gained through
the Berlin treaty all that we won in
the war, but have lost none of our
independence. The world club idea
is that super-government may be
created to judge world problems, and
that each member of the club shall
bow to it's decisions. The idea has
been proven impossible Of realiz-
alton.
The idea of the ornaments confer
ence is practical. The six leading
nations of the world will get TO-
gether and try to reach mutual
agreements regarding future scales
of ornaments, international prob
lens in the Pacific, and such other
controversies "s now prevent COM
plete understanding among them.
President Harding believes that the
practical way to stop future wars is
to settle peacefully the disputes that
bring them about, and to limit the
size of armies and navies. on the
theory that unrestrained compe-
tition in ornaments is bound to
bring about war sooner or later.
Now don't think that stopping
war is the only purpose in holding an
armament conference. Another pur-
pose is 20 relieve the people OF the
world of the immense burden Of
maintaining armies and navies. II
we maintain an army of 10000
men, that means not only that Io0,-
900 men are taken out of productive
employment and the rest Of the
people, those who work at farming
and manufacturing, keeping stores,
and practicing law, must work that
much harder to support the soldiers.
"You mustnt think that I am con-
demning the men who go into the
army and navy as parasites. Far
from it. have the greatest respect
for the man who is willing to go in
to training and hold himself ready
to be the first to go to the front in
case of war.
"The point is just this-under
present conditions, each nation must
be constantly ready to meet an en-
envy nation, and the extent of our
preparedness must depend largely
upon the size of the armies and
navies of other nations. 1t would
be folly for us to cut down our
army and navy unless other nations
did the same. If we permitted our
selves to become weak, with all the
wealth we possess, we would tempt
other nations to impose upon us or
even attack us.
What President Harding hopes
to accomplish at the armament con-
ference is to induce all the leading
nations to settle some international
questions that are now in doubt
/ and then agree upon plan by which
oil tba nations will limit their arm