Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-01-04

rists who may s''a' - 2<'2>
rise some day to David Lawrence.
break the peace? Or is it at home
inside America-that the peace can
be lost? References are made, as
for instance, by Vice President WAL
lace the other day, to the failures
of Woodrow Wilson. The Vice
President said we know now it was
the worlds failure and not Mr..
Wilson's. The same thought has
been expressed in dozens of ways,
but hardly more explicitly or bluntly
than in the message adopted at
the biennial meeting of the Fed
eral Council of Churches of Christ
in America in December, 1910, which
said in part:
1T Is certain that none of us is
guiltless and we who are Ameri-
cans recognize that a great burden
must rest upon us. For unto whom
soever much is given, of him shall
be much required During the pc
Rod preceding, and formative of,
the present wars, our Nation pos
sessed great power and influence.
Through our action or non-action
we eXerted a profound influence
upon the course of world events.
That course has generated a wide
spread unrest, great violence and
immense disaster. Obviously, we
have fallen far short of that which
was required.
1T is no excuse to say that we
were blind, or that we ourselves
preferred peace. Our blindness was
not an affection from without, but
a result of our SNUG complacency
and narrow selfishness And to
profess a love for peace is no great
virtue in those who control so dis
proportionate share of the worlds
wealth that to retain it is their
principal concern. Peace which
means merely an undisturbed eX-
ploitation Of power and privilege,
is not true peace, but only an in
terlude which inevitably provokes
revolt. To seek, through power, to
maintain a status quo of inequality
and injustice may be no less evil
than to invoke to change it."
Second Message Followed.
About Is months later-March,
1942-there was convened at Della
ware, Ohio, a commission comprising
BIT delegates named by the appro-
pirate agencies of their respective
communities and allied religious
organizations. including city and
State councils, under the auspices
OF the Federal Council of the
Churches of Christ in America.
That conference brought forth a
message of IS points, the first nine
of which we're commended to Chris
tians and non-Christians alike. The
tenth point was especially addressed
to all the people of the United
States and read as follows:
1--WE believe that, in bringing in
ternational relations into conform
ity with the moral law, very heavy
responsibility devolves upon the
United States. For at least a gen.
Grafton we have held preponderant
economic power In the world, and
with 1t the capacity to influence
decisively the shaping of world
events. 1t should be matter of
shame and humiliation to us that
actually the influences shaping the
world have largely been ire
sponsible forces. Our own positive
influence has been impaired because
Of concentration on self and on our
short-range material gains.
Many Of the major pre-condi-
tions Of just and durable peace
require changes of national policy
on the part of the United States.
Among such may be mentioned
C4daA dSSCoo w ildUui OIL lCOoul SCS,
economic collaboration, equitable
treatment Of racial minorities, in
ternational control of tariffs, limi-
tation OF ornaments, participation
in world government.
Must Win Confidence.
I'VE must be ready to subordinate
immediate and particular national
interests to the welfare of all. If
the future is to be other than a
repetition of the past, the United
States must accept the responsibility
for constructive action commensu-
rate with its power and opportu-
nifty"
To put into effect the foregoing
principle, however, it is essential
that the administration which ex-
pounds 1t shall have the confidence
Of the people on the domestic front.
The Wilson administration lost the
peace on the home front and that's
where It can be lost again If the
persons in positions Of responsibility
IN the New Deal, for instance, con-
tinue to abuse power, misuse and
waste public funds, and entrust to
incompetent and arrogant officials
the task Of administering war re-
strictions. The last election showed
a definite protest against the ad-
ministration. 1t was that way in
November, 1918. and two years later
fhe fSs,les If tho dor,ectic fro,,t Lo n