The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1924-01-18
MILLION DOLLAR PEACE PLAN


Inasmuch as some forty thousand
2eople have tried their hand at
Peace Plans and one was awarded
prize OF 100000. The American
,ews will try its hand at it, and, a
! mode5tly thinks its own plan worth
/ least ten times a. much as the ono
yhich won the prize, it styles it the
lillion Dollar Peace Plan.
We have already intimated that
nc awards committee was cheated out
+ about 500, 999.99, and on the same
aluation our pet plan may not be
JOrth more than q dime.
The trouble with inventors of peace
rlans is that they think there must
re something doing. They are like tho
answer to the old conundrum, ''Why
loes the chicken cross the road2'
After all is said and done they have
My succeeded in making the crossing
md like enough would be glad to get
)ack.
The 100000 peace plan is simply
rehash Of the reservations with
which a small number OF senators
Wished to get us into the League OF
Nations.
There has been another plan, an
pposition plan, proposed, which is
nothing more nor less than that We
write our foreign policy into the con.
stitution, by constitutional amcud.
nent, and, further that We provide
or armament and our entire army
md navy bv constitutional enact.
nent. We do not believe this will
De given serious consideration by
anyone. The idea of having an lin.
lexible foreign policy, changeablt
My through the slow process of the
epeal of a constitutional amendment
will not appeal to the American
people. Some think we have at leas1
one too many amendments to the
CONSTITUTION at present. But tn,
further idea, of writing into the con.
,titution Just what should be the siz,
# the army and navy is absurd. II
would be the first piece of specific
legislation ever written into the con.
stitution. 1t would NEAR a perpetua
appropriation for the benefit of mu.
nitions makers for which the Ameri.
an people would never stand.
AS we have said, all the peace
plans presented presuppose that some
thing must be done and done right
.way. The chicken MUST cross tn.
Dad, willy-nilly.
Our million dollar peace plan is to
stand pat. We are sitting pretty, why
not keep on sitting?
Under our present foreign policy
We have done more for peace thar
las the league of nations. We have
ecured a disarmament treaty, mad,
the Pacific ocean live up to its nam,
md have been an important factor
N every world movement. VIII,
chatne a foreign policy which has &c
'onfp4khed such great results7
At present we are courted by every
nation. Statesman after Statesman
has come to make a grand concer'
Of nations tour through the United
States. Have they been doing it il
any other country? At every NOV
we are consulted and our wishes re
spected. What more do we wantf
The United States is somewhat il
the position of the man we used t
know who never voted until about
minute before the polls closed. Fo
J64 days in the year he was quite al
ordinary citizen, but on election da,
he was the most sought after man il
the city. Candidates went aroun
and offered him cigars, politician
patted him on the back, but he wa
entirely too busy to vote. Just be
fore the polls closed from two t
three automobiles were parked il
front of him, ready to take him t
the voting place. That was his day
His day to ride, to smoke and to EN-
; Joy himself, and he made the yer.
most of it. After he had voted h
was just Bill Smith again. Out o
the League, America is sought after
courted and respected; in the League
E we would be just "Bill Smith"
Still further, Europe is muddhnI