New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-11-10
Daniels Sees Tragedy In
Nations Failure to Lead
Toward Peace.
BY JOSEPHUS DANIELS

BY JOSEPHUS DANIELS
Secretary OF the Navy in Presiden
Wilson's Cabinet
Raleigh. N. c., Nov. 10. (uP)-
The 10 years since the signing O.
the Armistice have been years O.
disappointment and disbursement
On that high day the 100000 M
under arms believed that forma
signature was not only the end o.
that mighty struggle. but that theil
sacrifices had brought a permanent
peace when war would no Longer
curse mankind.
They had responded to the cal
to the colors upon the appeal and
assurance that this is q wal
against war" and the most illumi.
mating of Wilson's points. accepted
by all the warning nations, Wal
some permanent association OF ma.
tions to L&ovide substitute FOL
war. The soldiers. and most OF the
, people of the earth. hailed No
vember II as a day when the radi'
ance of Bethlehem game promise Of
peace on earth.'
Ten years later We find that the
confidence of that day has passed
leaving a drifting world still CROP
ing in the medieval belief that
Force alone was dominant Will
sons League was done to death
Politics showed patriotism In the
background. Alien influences were
stronger than love OF peace. Ma.
tional selfishness submerged inter-
national duty. What has America
done in these ten years? Let
Elihu Root give the truthful and
humiliating answer. I'VE. the great
peace-loving people. what have we
done to help in this wonderful new
work." In answer to his own ques-
ton he said: mo sympathy. no
moral support. no brotherhood
Nothing" And he added this true
indictment of Americas failure:
I'VE have allowed insensate
prejudice, camouflaged but futile
phrases, to appear. but falsely to
appear. to represent the true heart
of the American people, with all
it's idealism, with it's breadth Of
human sympathy, with its strong
desire that our country should do
its share for the peace and happi-
ness and noble life in all the
world"
what Has Happened Since?"
When Henry Cabot Lodge re-
canted from his former declaration
for world league for peace and.
made the cruel rent in Wilson's
Covenant. there came a debacle
which for a time struck down
American prosperity and sent Eu-
rope into the slough of despair.
What has happened since? The
so-called Dawes Treaty gave hope
to financial stability to Germany
and France, but it has fallen short
of the sanguine expectations raised
for il. The Harding Washington
than a dud as to securing disarrn-
ament or fairly reducing arma-
ment. The various conferences
unofficial observers have not sue
ceeded in doing anything satisfac-
tory in the way of reduction Of
armament or preventing war. ]
am not speaking Of the influence
of the League of Nations. Elihu
Root truly said of 1t and its work:
For these years the League In
the political field and the Court in
the judicial field have been render
ing the best service to the cause
of peace known to the history OF
civilization. incomparably the
hest"
Secretary Kellogg has received
many expressions of approval at
the successful signing Of the
BRAND Kellogg treaty. 1t Is an
event that looks in the right direc-
ton, though, of course. 1t is moth
ing more in itself than "spineless
treaty" without any effective ma
chinery agreed upon by the sigma
tory nations. 1t has been welcomed
as Il magnificent gesture. Let us
hope that it will be followed by
a real substitute for war so America
can quit stalling and carly out the
pledge for peace it made to its
$500. 600 soldiers and sailors who
fought in the World War and to
all the world. II so. the Kellogg
treaty will have re-opened the way
that Lodge closed In 1919.
It is a tragedy that the United
States, which entered wholeheart-
eddy in the World War. Is yet to
do anything OF value to lead Into
international association for peace.
The Kellogg BRAND treaty shows
that the conscience of America is
touched over its betrayal of Its
pledge and its duty. Is this con-
science sufficiently quickened to
cause us to take the next step and
enter the World Court and the
League of Nations? Until we do
that we cannot claim that America
has learned the lesson taught by
the holocaust of war.
Why should not the tenth ami
versary of the signing of the
Armistice be made day for ma
tional reconsncration to the desire
to end war which blaZed so
brightly in the eleventh hour of the
eleventh day of November 1918?