, 1922-11-12

hers, he asks that average american question.
How do they ees that wayr He cmcmber Ame.,
profit TO the extent Of a dollar Of reparations or
an inch Of territory He knows that the European
powers divided vast gain in land and enormous
Trade possibilities; that their rapacities and ieal-
ousies resulted in n peace that Is a fomenter ~
war. He looks at the Near East. where one great
nation stood behind the Turks. And he is asked 70
take lessons IN saving his soul from the politicians
In control of these nafions=poIiticians who have
ruined Europe and who now ask that we act as n
Vrecking crew to salvage the old mess for them
while they push on 10 new triumphs of ruin.
America has been absolutely right in keeping
out of foreign affairs under the conditions and
the leadership that have prevailed since the arms
uce; Shth me poiiucians have n change Of heart,
until they settle down to saving their souls and
their countries as well as their bacon. we cannot
help Europe, but we can cripple ourselves.
we wish that these international bankers and
these foreign critics of ours who are prating Of
Americas duty would formulate in concise, con
crete terms just what that duty is. and tell US
just what Europe wants and will accept from us
besides money. We do not believe that there is
a workable program of cooperation in anyone's
mind. Everyone who understands what is happen
ing right now in European affairs knows tina.
America would get about as far in the presen,
League OF Nations as a watermelon in a colored
camp meeting.
@of course If we forgave Europe the old debts
and loaned her our last dollar we could be as
snow white as We were for a few brief weeks while
we were pouring American soldiers and dollars
into Europe. For ten billion We could undoubtedly
De all heart for twenty, all soul
The Saturday Evening Post has been asked by
several peace organizations to urge the calling OF
a second disarmament conference. There has been
no stronger advocate of n gradual scaling Of
armies and navies TO n police basis than this week
ly. But taking into consideration the fact that at
this writing the most important decisions of the
last conference have not been confirmed and car.
ried out, in view of the temper of Europe and the
Far East in the light of the war by proxy is
in the Near East, We do not believe that the time
Is ripe for another conference. We might wake up
to find that some of the conferees had disarmed by
proxy, too. Until the present international crime
wave has passed, America must keep herself in a
strong defensive condition. Some of our very best
nations, while piously protesting their belief IN
war prohibition, have been bootlegging territorial
and trade advantages. We can't get anywhere
with a whiteribbon disarmament conference if
the delegates come to it with whisky on their
breath and something on the hip.
america is for limitation conferences, economic
conferences. moral and financial ajd-anything
that will help Europe, as soon as Europe is really
ready to help herself. And we would gladly give
her all the money that she wants if she would give
back TO our young men those things that her
huckstering politicians took from them in the great
war and the little peace-their illusions and their
ideals"