Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 April 1920 — THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS [ARTICLE]

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

The New York Times of last Sunday print.ed a Paris dispatch from ita correspondent, Walter Duranty, in which it was shown that Germany is even now planning a war of revenge, and has gone,far in rebuilding its military machine. The story

which he tells should be read by every one who Is disposed to sink back into the comfortable thought that the job was completed when the armistice was signed. It should be interesting to those senators who are proposing to “declare” peace by a resolution, the effect —intended —of which will be to detach us completely from our late associates. This very attitude has encouraged the German junkers, who are now openly saying that both Great Britain and America have deserted France, and are now on the side of Germany. If there is to be safety there must be the closest sort of combination of the victorious powers—to which Germany should be admitted when she qualifies under the provisions of the treaty. In discussing a recent article bv Major-General Sir George Aston in the Nineteenth Century, in which he argues that “there is but little hope of ending war,” the Times says: The lesson for the United States in the competition between Great Britain and Germany for control oi the air in Europe is too plain to need emphasizing. Three thousand miles of water are a security at present for this country, or perhaps it were better said that the ocean would prove a handicap to a European aggressor. But invention removes difficulties rapidly in these days and the developments in aviation are almost magical. The American navy is not secure from attack frqm the air even today, nor can it be defended effectively. General Aston says: “The final attitude cf the United States toward the league ideals is awatied by the whole world with intense interest.” By ratifying the treaty and accepting the covenant it can bring a mighty force to bear upon the international situa-' tion to prevent war in most cases and to help to make the conduct of war less horrible, if it can not be averted, by acting promptly with the league’s police force. Yet we —or a f°w of us —fondly

imagine that our old state of isolation can be recovered, though our navy “is not secure from attack by the air even today.” The idea of having to “defend” a navy, which is Itself supposed to be a meiaus oi defense, Is distinctly novel, and somewhat startling. Surely the world needs a power that shall be able to say that there shall never again be such a war as that into which Germany plunged humanity five years ago, a power that can make its veto good. It is necessary that the nations of Europe, Germany in particular, understand this. The purpose of the league is not to fight, but to prevent fighting. Without it the world will drift back to the old system of balance of power and secret treaties, and we surely should know, after our recent experience, what such a revision would mean. Our refusal to participate in the league will create a false impression in Germany, strengthen the hands of the militarists, force France again to assume alone the task of defending her frontier, and leave things in Europe and the world much as they were before the German armies broke into Belgium five years ago. The result would be to make war much more probable, and it would be a war in which we should almost certainly be involved. —Indianapolis News.