, 1923-08-12

It will be interesting to see whether
the time to get from UNDER has
/ come in tails question of our relations
| with other nations.
We have had much heat. Perhaps
the people will now supply some light.
Be that as It may, the American
Peace Award IS there as a channel
through which the people can express
themselves, and already the esponso
that has come shows that they recoE-
nixed the opportunity Immediately IL
was offered them.
xIhe American Peace Award rests
, ,kpon an actual condition of public
sentiment as ascertained through a
thorough research made at my be-
hest some six months ago. This in
quiry was conducted by a hilbert,
unused method: it penetrated into
every state Of the Union, and
its technique vas such that I could
safely rely pom the information it
brought ne.
The instinct which led me to make
this research Is n present with
every fair minded man who has stud
led recent public sentiment and has
taken pains by one way or another,
to find out that sentiment at close
range: hat there has been a decided
reversal of public opinion with regard
to the position which the United
States should take IN Its policy of
foreign relations. Three years ago
there was a strong feeling against
the United States taking part in any
way in the settlement of world prob
lens today there is an equally strong
current toward the adoption of some
plan which will solve the question.
The widespread sentiment which my
research brought to the surface was
, naturally unexpressed. for the very
. good reason that there was no channel
NJ its expression. Many a clear
headed thinking man. who had quietly
watched the complications of the ques-
ton for three years, had arrived at
certain neutrality-suspicious. that
were calm and worthy OF thought be-
cause they had been reached in quiet
atmosphere.
! saw at once the immediate need
to provide a channel through which
this unexpressed public sentiment
could flow together and crystalline
into something concrete and definite,
and to insure for that crystailized
sentiment a hearing where 1t cou'd
be translated into a practical working
plan. 1t is only the man out of
touch with the great public who says
that the American people have not
thought about this Ques'on Of foreign
relations. I found the people had.
in far greater numbers h I had
dreamed, thought a great deal about
1t. Moreover. they were distinctly
disappointed at the way the matter
had been thus far handled. But
where and to whom were they going
To- send their thoughts? Who had
provided a channel which they could
depend upon to lead somewhere?
One phase OF the public mood was
clearly evident: 1t was MT In any
attempt to Re trifled with. What.
ever the channel was provided must
be straig htforward, and 1t would have
to be obviously SO. simple and direct
The insistence In every case was
that II a channel were provided II
should be absolutely ava from any
political considerations. n that II
should be independent Of any relation
to the League of Nations. Not that
there was wide or pronounced oppo'
sltion to the League, but the people
apparently felt the need Of a channel
entirely unbiased and unrelated to
what had gone before. 1t was Is II
they said: 1--WE can settle this. but II
must be In our way"
A very significantly strong feeling
existed and was very widely and Wig
a.. =
sired to have a more direct hand in
greh v,attarz ne fbfa They wantad