The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-05-30
HARVEY LAYS SOD
| ON LEAGUE GRAVE
Col. Harvey Says Y. S.
Can Never Enter
League of Nations

WASHINGTON, D. c., May 2S.-
Probably no event has so signalized
the return of Americanism in our
government as the speech of Ambass-
ador Harvey on the occasion Of his
welcome by the British premier and
other high English officials" de-
clares the Republican Publicity asso-
citation, thru it's president, Hon.
Jonathan Bourne, Jr. "Pledges of
American sacrifices for European re-
Mobilization, which featured utter
ances of members Of the former ad-
ministration, were quite lacking
from Mr.. Harvey's remarks. Far
from apologizing for the fact that he
is representative of the United
States, he gloried in it, Precisely
as your ambassador went to Wash
ington as an unalloyed Briton,
come to London as an unalloyed
American No less a person than
the president of the United States
went abroad two years ago, and con-
Quoted himself more as. a citizen Of
the world :. than specifically of
America Americas rights and SOW
ereignty were bartered away in an
attempt to save the old world from
disaster she had brought upon her
self. Those rights now are in the
keeping of a president and his Lon
don representative who do not
hesitate to tell Europe that they are
objects of their first concern.
"Col. Harvey's declaration of the
motives that inspired America to
send her soldiers across the water
rings with the Americanism that Is
found thruout his address. Far
more prevalent until recently was the
impession that we went to war to
rescue humanity from all kinds of
menacing perils,' said the ambassa-
dor in recollection of the beautiful
idealisms uttered so frequently by
the former president. Not few
remain convinced he continued,
that we sent our young soldiers
across to save this kingdom, France,
and Italy That is not the fact. We
sent them solely to save the United
States of America, and most ,reluct-
antly and laggardly at that,
LET us go back for moment and
compare that sturdy language with
the sickening sentimentality that has
gone before. On Memorial day,
1919, standing in Suresnes cemetery
among the graves of thousands OF
American soldiers, President Wilson
uttered the following: Never before
have men crossed the seas to a
foreign land to fight for a cause of
humanity which they did not pre-
tend was particularly their own, but
knew was the cause of humanity and
of mankind Those boys knew that
they went to fight for America, and
their surviving comrades may glory
in the fact that the present admins
tration is not afraid to say so, even
at the banquet tables in London.
Further abandonment of the gov
ernment-by-theory policy that was
upon us so long was sounded by Col.
Harvey when he said, We will get
nowhere until we abruptly put aside
academic discussion Of theoretical
proposals and manfully face, without
mincing or wincing, the actual real
itics. How much better off would
the world be today had the peace
conference at Paris confined itself to
actual realities instead of wasting
months in roaming thru the realms
of disproved theory-had attended to
the business of making peace rather
than attempted the reform Of human
passions thru diplomatic decree.
Official notice was conveyed to
his hearers-what they had already
learned thru the press-that the
United States can never enter the
league of nations. The present gov
ernment,' said Col. Harvey, could
not, without betrayal Of its creators
and masters. and will not, I can as
sure you, have anything whatsoever
to do with the league or any commits
sion or committee appointed by it,
or responsible to it, directly or in
directly, openly or furtively.'
| Respect for Col. Harvey, for
President Harding, and for America
rose as the ambassador proceeded
and carried the message to his hear
ers that the America of pre-Wilson
days had returned to its own, jealous
of its rights and sovereignty, but
ready, in it's discretion, to lend
proper aid to others when the
occasion may arise"