The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-19

my attitude on this question with com plete frankness. I said that, speaking in the sheerest terms of national interest, it was not wise, nor prduent, nor safe that fifty-four nations of the world | should sit together in conference on world affairs and American be absent. I said that while this nation could not join the League of Nations helpfully unless and until the common judgment of the American people supported such a step the day would come. in Iny 1udg- ment, when we should see that both in- terest and duty dictated that step.
 q do not believe the League of Ma tions Is perfect. do not believe 1t has assumed it's final form. I believe in life and growth and custom and habit am not concerned even about the terms on which we shall appear at the council table of the world. Out of that appearance and out of such con ference in Gods good time will grow a friendly habit among men, the custom of calm and reasonable discussion and a proper yielding. not to force, not to the language of the Declaration of In- dependence itself to a decent respect for the opinion of mankind
 "It Is impossible to think on this sub- ject without thinking of a name-the name of a man who battled for this cause. Did he fail? That is as one may think. I do not think he failed. His name will live, because no man in all history ever associated his name wi. h a great moral idea and went down tu oblivion. He lived in the storm and in the tempest, but from the icy heights he looked down across the l0wlands and saw the ocean of peace that finally will lap all the shores where dwell the sons of men. And in the days to come the nations of the world. not the least among them our own,- will warm themselves through the centuries by the fires that Woodrow Wilson llt."
 Peace Through Preparedness
 "Do yo uthink civilization can dis pense with It's arms at present."
 Armed force, as the world stands, is the only hope of civilization. mean it is the only thing that can insure the safety of what has been wrested from savagry and barbarism pending the day when wisdom and morality-those ulti- mately irresistible forces-shall have comel fully into their own. For civiliza- tion to snap its sword now would be like the, act of a man who threw away rifle and hunting knife in a haunt of grizzly bears.
 "We free Americans want to keep our arms and keep them bright. We want other free and peace-loving men to do
 
 these free, pacific, and civilized nations prepared to take care of themselves, fl
 need be, shah effect such all-inclusive accommodations as will make their combined strength a constant bulwark against barbarian, tyranny, and the madness of aggressive war. Impossible Napoleon once remarked that 'impos- sible' was not French. In the effort to end war and to make civilization secure ] impossible may be republican Eng fish; it is not democratic English" Mir. Davis And Irish Freedom So ended the interview with the ur-
 bane and eloquent MT. Davis. knew
 him as ambassador in London. He made in that great and fascinating city
 many delightful speeches on widely
 varying themes-law. politics. literature art In all he said he did two things ] gratified the susceptibilities of his hear 1 CTS and won their respect. His ambas'
 sadorial work was sedulous, silent, and
 successful. He was real influence ir guiding British policy to that treatment
 of the Irish question which eliminated l it from American politics and did some
 thing to simplify the complex problem of British inter-imperial relations.
 Mr. Davis, in other words, was not
 without a hand in setting up the Irish Free State. He never tired of urging upon the British government the indis pensabiIity of Anglo-Irish peace tC Anglo-American amity; and it was hC
 who told Lloyd George that the firsi | Irish bill of the Welsh statesman "diG
 not go far enough" On this advice
 Lloyd George addressed himself to tho
 task of making 1t go far enough.