The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-14
No More Sucker Role for IT. s.

1t is right and wise for the United States to do
everything possible to avert serious in the far
east But there is one thing we should avoid That
is to allow Uncle Sam once more to be cast for the
sucker role in world politics
There seems to be some danger that this may be
the case. Japan, at times, has appeared to be
snraged with than with the league. We no longer
pan permit the United States to pull others chestnuts
from the fire, with grave loss to ourselves and no
gratitude from those whom we serve.
We have had one truly colossal example of Uncle
Sam as the worlds sucker and this experience should
last for couple of centuries This excursion set
us back some 100000 100000 in the ultimate direct
costs of entry into the World war; led to indirect
monetary costs which hardly be estimated, the
present depression being in part due to the nerna
tonal confusion caused by the World war; and
suited in an incalculabe cost in the loss to the morale
Of the country in the postwar letdown
Scholars no longer are under any illusions to
what the World war was about. 1t fought to
create the Great Serbia to obtain the Straits for Rus
ga to recover AsaceLorrane for France, and to get
Ehe German trade, navy and colonies for Brtain-all
reasonable enough aspirations perhaps but logical
basis for the expenditure of American blood and
treasure
There are many who would say Indignantly that
we fought to protect the sacred rights Of Americans
Once more scholars tell us that if such had been the
nase we had better reasons for fighting Britain in 1917
than for battling Germany. Germany once agreed to
negotiate according American proposals relative to
the rights of neutrals but England refused to
slider such
Yet we went into the war, with the American
public believing that we were fighting for high and
noble ideals We saved the day for the allies. What
same out of it for us?
Wilson'S ideals, embodied in part in the armistice
terms were repudated in the postwar treaties These
would have far had not Wilson ruined his
health and disposition fighting off for months the
greedy and immoral demands of his former allies.
The decade which followed the peace treaties has
borne the fruits which might have been expected-a
continuance of secret diplomacy, the perpetuaton of
the reign of force and heavy ornaments and the pro-
ongation of injustice suspicion and oppression among
nations There is little peace or contentment in the
world thirteen years after the armistice.
We have received little or gratitude for our
great chestnut pulling expedition We far more
popular with our former enemies than with most Of
our former allies Our former enemies now may have
an AK to grind but the fact remains that they like
better than our former companions in arms.
Nor has our postwar generosity won us anything
pxcept curses and further financial inducements We
cancelled the debts Of continental allies to the
tzne of 64s per cent of the original principal We
cancelled all debts including those of Great Britain,
10 an average of 51.2 per cent.
And all this in spite Of the fact that it had been
proven amply that we had been deceived grossly as
n the motives Of the entente in fighting the war.
We settled the huge amount due us for British raw
noes IN our neutral trade from 1914 to 1917 for what
was literally song.
since the war, we have tried to put Europe on its
feet by huge loans which have impaired own
financial machinery. Yet poor old Uncle Sam earned
for all this only the epthet of Uncle shylock.
The League of Nations Is ineffective today pri-
ary because our allies did not keep the faith with
IA and create international system based onunity