The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-01-24
BY J. B. BENTLEY

Probably the most dominant thought
in the minds of the conscious Ameri
can fathers and mothers today Is the
threat of war and the destruction OF
their loved ones. But most American
parents accept war as their fate be-
cause Of their lack of understanding
of what causes wars and how they can
be prevented. Twenty years ago
Senator Pettigrew wrote an essay on
what would be the probable cause OF
the next world war. He analysed the
situation so accurately that | am pass
ing it on to you in his own words
"The war has just begun. l said
that when the Armistice terms were
published and when I read the treaty
and the League Covenant | felt more
than ever convinced Of the justice OF
my conclusion. The treaty of YER
sailles is merely an armistice-a sus-
pension of hostilities, while the COM
batants get their wind. There Is a
war in every chapter of the treaty
and in every section of the League
Covenant; war all over the world;
war without end so long as the con-
ditions endure which produce these
documents. The League of Nations
is a League to perpetuate war. l do
not charge that it's sponsors intended
this, though l have sufficient respect
for the intellectual ability of men like
Balfour and Lloyd George, Maxine and
Orlando to believe that they knew
quite we'll what they were about. But
whether by intention or accident, the
Big Five presented the world with
two documents, the attempted enforce
ment of which is destined to bathe
the earth in blood and wipe out what
remains of western civilization
"The advocates of the League OF
Nations claim for it that it will END
war. If we do not adopt it, says
Mr.. Wilson, we will break the heart
of the world If we do adopt 1t, we
shall help to bleed the western world
white in the series of frightful inter-
national struggles that will follow
upon any attempt to enforce the
treaty and the League Covenant as
they are written.
LET me state, briefly, my reasons
for believing that the League OF Ma
lions as a war league rather than a |
peace league.
81. The League of Nations is not
league of all nations. On the con- |
trary, three kinds Of nations are de-
liberately excluded from 1.-THE So |
cialist nations like Russia; the enemy |
nations, like Germany, and the I'M
developed nations like Mexico. The
Big Five who wrote the Armlstlce
terms, the peace treaty and the league
covenant were Great Britain, France,
italy, Japan and the United States
These are the five great capitalist
of the world. They are also
he five leaders among the allied ma
ions. The League is therefore a Holy
Alliance of capitalist empires against
socialist states; a league of the allies
against the central powers; league
If the world against those whom they
propose to rob. This situation creates
/ series of alignments any one OF
which may lead to an outbreak at
Utmost any moment.
"2. On the one hand, there is the
alignment against Russia. Ever since
he Revolution of 1917, the Allies have
lone everything in their power to des-
roy the government of Russia. They
lave sent their armies against her at
and at Archangel; they
AVE attacked her with their fleets on
he Black sea and in the Baltic; they
ave financed and equipped those like
Vrangel who were in rebellion against
yudinich, Kolchak, Denikine and
he established government Of Russia;
hey have financed and equipped the
Jkranians, the Firms and the Poles, t
n condition that they should make
yar on Russia; they have established s
sanitary Gordon of border states s
4 an effort to cut Russia off from a
he rest of Europe; they have main Q
aimed a blockade which has resulted