Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1922-05-12
OUT OF 1T, THANKS TO HARDING


} Genoa is whelmed in doubt and fear.
Bad faith has been rampant, if not
triumphant. Hesitancy and weakness
prevail among the best of the Powers.
Cross purposes, suspicion, and a5an.
dOnment of principles to serve the
passing moment, mark every days
procedure. What will ultimately
come of it all is a question which lies
hidden on the knees of the gods. Only
one great, salient fact stands out, clear
vivid and impregnable, not to be alter
ed or overthrown b. anything which
may yet occur, affording reason to
every thoughtful American citizen 10
thank President Harding from the
bottom of his heart. That fact is the
everlasting wisdom of Our Govern
ment's determination to keep out of
that witches cauldron.
! Consider: There has been brought
before the Conference to date not
one single matter that is any of our
! business; not a matter into which in
any ordinary circumstances it would
not be gross impertinance or worse
for us to intrude. indeed our intrus-
ion would generally have been resent
ed, as an offensive mejdling, subject
to suspicion Of sinister motives. On
the other hand the foremost question
now before the Conference is one
which we could not possibly ignore if
we Were a member, and which we
could not possibly interest ourselves
in without not merely embarrassing
but actually compromising ourselves.
The cynical crookedness and reach
cry OF Germany and Russia, the read
mess Of Great Britain to let the jingl-
ing of the guinea help the hurt that
honor feels, the passionate wrath of
France at the great betrayal-a.l
these and more are no affairs of ours.
AS humanitarians we canno. help be-
ling interested in them and earnestly
hoping that somehow an overruling
Providence will bring order out OF
chaos and good out of evil But as
nation among nations we must recog-
nize the fact that for us to have been
mixed up in those affairs would great,
ly have injured us and would not at
all have benefited our nelghbor ma
tions. The worst Of it would have been
that 1t would have injured us object
lively as well as subjsctively. and thus
would have actually have injured those
other Powers which we desire to
serve; because 1t would not have i'm
paired our prestige, and would so have
involved us In the cross-currents and |
antagonisms OF European politics, as
to have incapacitated us from being
in the best manner helpful to Euro
pean nations when the time comes for
aid to be offered. 1t ought to be Oh
vious, and a most convincing and con.
trolling consideration, that great
part Of our influence and our ability
to be Of the best service to other ma
tious arises from the fact of our hold
ing aloof from their chickering's, in-
trigues and strifes.
In taking, maintaining and rejoicing
in this attitude Of aioofness, there Is
no mere selfishness, none of the Am
| my brothers keeper" spirit. 1t is
rather the spirit so trenchantly ex.
pressed by Whittier many years ago
in respect to an entirely different mat
ter:
AL that sister State should do, ali
that free State may,
Heart, hand and purse, we offer, as in
that ancient day.
But that one dark, loathsome burden,
ye must stageer with alone,
And reap the bit er harvest that ye
yourselves have sown. =.
There are burdens to be borne, there
are problems to be solved. by those
directly concerned, and by no others.
and such are most Of the rehabilitation
problems which now confront the ma.