Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 93, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1917 — A CALL TO THE NATION [ARTICLE]

A CALL TO THE NATION

President Wilson’s address is the most important and the most j miracle public utterance that has ‘been heard in the United States, in 1 many years. It Expresses the supreme interest of this country in , its foreign relations. The country, ! we believe, is ready to support it heartily. | We want peace, first for our--1 selves, but also for the world'. This jWar has made it doubtful, at sev-

eral junctures, whether we could have peace for ourselves. Through' trade, travel, investments, and so on, common world interests interlace more and more tlosely. Opposing alliances of nations to secure a dubious balance of power grow more and more extensive. Any future war is certain to be a great war, and to' affect more rigorously those nations who seek to stay opt of it. is all in favor of the President’s declaration, spine time ago, that we could hardly hope ito keep out of another w’orld war. I Peace now depends absolutely upon the will or any nation. If it asserts that its honor or vital initerest is involved, the world has no recourse save to submit to an ordeal by battle, even though the whole world may be involved in it. In the present state of the world’s development that is a ridiculous situation. There must be some organ to express and assert the comi mon 'interest as against any particular national interest. No other ' arrangement contains ,a» reasonable guaranty of peace. i The United States is pretty well ! agreed as to that. It should be willing, then, and glad, to take its share in establishing and supporting an organ of the- common interI est. To declare that we want lasting peace, and .then sit back and • merely advise Europe how it may (secure lasting peace, without be- • ing willing to take our share in securing it, would be a contemptible ' role. “There may be differences of opinion, over details, but details are unimportant now. The idea that President Wilson expressed to thej senate ought to receive the country s hearty indorsement.— -Saturday Evening Post.