Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-05-31
"A Anlerica
First Plan
OfHarding
President, Speaking at Arling-
ton National Cemetery, Says
Nations Dead Did Not Die
in Vain.
Urges Middle Courses
BY ARTHUR SEARS HENNING.
hINQEn TrllIino- III nh. H. Il


Washington. May 30.-Rejecting
a policy of isolation, but taking care
to surrender none of its independ-
ence, the United States will not only
cooperate with other nations, but
accept leadership in the restoration
OF normalcy in the war-torn world.
This was the declaration of Presi-
dent Harding in his Memorial day
address at Arlington National ceme-
terry after reviewing the veterans of
the nations struggles in arms, from
the tottering survivors of the civil
war to the lusty youths of the war
with Germany.
To do our full part in helping to
stabilize the world, to restrain am
bition for empire still rife and to pre-
vent the disaster to civilization that
would flow from denial of the
equality of sovereign states or per-
sons--to aid in accomplishing these
purposes, the president said, is a
heritage OF responsibility from the
sacrifice of those who gave their
lives for the nation that we cannot
cyade, il we would
Will Take Leadership.
The world is looking to us for
leadership and it will not look in
vain, "for mankind is fallen on times
when there is no hope for it if some
communities seek isolation while
others indulge in unrestrained am
bition for empire"
While rejecting the doctrine of
isolation of the extreme 'irrecon-
cilablcs" the president would shun
the other extreme which would have
landed us in the league of nations.
81 am not counselling surrendered
independence" he said. "Our main
tanned freedom is the source of our
might. Only the American con-
science may command this republic" ;"
America Come First.
The president made it clear that
we would have the United States
participate in the peace undertaking
OF world stabihzation as it particl-
pated in the undertaking of war
without any hard and fast alliance
but in untrammelled association
with the other great powers.
To accomplish this mission eftec-
lively we must attend to the needs
of America first and make our
selves strong, firm, secure.
"r counsel no selfishness, no little
Americanism, no mere parochial-
isn,." said the president, when l
urge that our first duty is to our
own, and that in the measure OF its
performance we will find the true
gauge of our capacity to be helpful
to others"
Text OF Address.
The text of the presidents address
in part follows:
"We are met on sacred soil today
for solemn hour of sacrament and
consecration. But the soil whence
we come is itself sanctified through
the sacrifices of those who lie here.
Wherever our flag flies, within the
boundaries of the republic, it IS over
lands whose freedom and security
have been wrought through these
sacrifices,
1T is the privilege of this com
pany to utter our tribute OF love
and gratitude in the sacristy OF
beauty within sight of the national
capi;a!. But others, io less devout.
Mill assemble all over our land and
other lands, under foreign skies ana
among alien peoples to pay like trio-
ute OF love and memory. There
is no discordant note in the hymn
OF gratitude, no sectionalism IN our
memorial. Above the murmuringss
OF grief is the swelling concord or
union and the dominant note IS our
iaith in the republic.
Tribute of Many Tongues.
"It will be tribute today spoken
IN many tongues, and by. diverse
races. Wherever men are free they
are wont to give thought to our
country's service in freedoms cause.
Where men may but, aspire to a
freedom not yet achieved, their in
stinct turns the eye and the thought
n.nf hope this way and they pray
that their cause may gain our ap-
probation. They know that we
have never drawn the sword OF op-
preston, that we have not sought
what was not our own, nor taken all
that we might have claimed. They
have seen our protecting arm
stretched over the outposts OF
liberty on every continent.
'For, more than a century our
plighted word warned tyranny from
half the world; then, when the gauge
was taken up by mad ambition, men
felt the blow that arm could strike
when freedom answered in its ut
most might. Across the seas we
sent our hosts of liberty's sons,
commissioned to redress the eternal
scale Today the sons and daugl-
ters of other lands are placing with
loving hands their laurels on Amer
ican graves, not less reverently than
VIC are doing here. To me no
thought comes with more of inspir-
alton than this, that now our me-
mortal day is become an information
al occasion.
There are gathered here the
ashes of great army of those who
fought in the struggle which pre-
served our union and insured our
high place in the community of ma
tions. We will not over-appraise
their sacrifice if we say that had they
failed their failure would have so
weakened the forces of liberty and
enlightenment that these would
have been doomed, in the more re-
cent world trial, to failure and de-
feat. A divided America would have
been incapable of the effort that was
demanded to hold our present-day
civilization secure.
Our own generation will not per
form party worthy of its heritage
ii we do less than our very utmost
<rurn to rsss Two. Column one.A