Life — March 13, 1919 — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

MARCH 13 wis Pub Awortw Mittes, President and Treasurer 17 West Thirty-first English Offices, Rolls House, BOUT the time this issue of Lire fe comes out Mr. Wilson back in putting his shoulder again to the wheel of nations and trying to put it over to will be France where it belongs He had a strenuous must have been hard work, but it was On the whole, he go: visit here. It worth while. help for his plans for preserving the world of the Congress passed Dills—some peace his money of them—and Senators Lodye and Knox assisted his efforts to devise a League of Nations by serious and extended criticism of the preliminary draft for sucl that he brought over with him, Neither Mr. Lodge nor Mr. Knox thinks at all well of the instrument which Mr. Wilson has had a hand in king and the chief hand in getting It seems safe to surmise that had felt at liberty out League of them express bluntly his feelings document he that thing But the document was too im- have said, It’s ne would Take sood!" treatment strongest such of portant for Representatives summary the five nations in the world had signed it, in these States the feeling for it, or for something like it, was too strong to be trifled with. Ex-President Taft was stumping the country in support of it, with backing from such Repul licans as President Lowell of Harvard. President Butler of Columbia had issued warning to his fellow partisans that they must not we themselves in opposition to the idea of a plan to in- sure world peace, and former Repub- jican Secretary of War Stimson had “While there ts Life there's Hope” ished by LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY Jaurs S. Street, New York cams Bldgs., London, E. C. Mercatre, Secretary made a deposition to the same effect. The Democratic party was being mar- shalled in support of a definite plan to bind over the world to keep the peace, the idea was almost universally popu- lar, and the Republican party could not be held together in opposition to it So Mr. Lodge and Mr. Knox gave over consideration of Mr. Wilson's gener: great breach of presidential deportment in playing hookey and going off to Europe, and put their minds seriously on the pro- The result. was two important speeches in delinquencies and posal that he had brought back. the Senate. OTH Mr. Lodge and Mr. Knox in- troduced their remarks with assur- ance that they were not captions oppo- nents of world . but would go as rand pay as } anybody would to get it, and support any reasonable plan that gave fair promise to prod ch went on to depo: Mr. Wilson's gh draft of it it. and then length and in detail w fi in so far as the ro: indicated, failed to give such promise, but seemed more likely to bring on an other war in due time, and meanwhile to knock the power. prosperity, liberty and reputation of the United States into a cocked hat. Tha something time that this world-peace effort was was like. Tt was taken seriously by Republicans in the Senate and disengaged from such defunct issues as the propriety of Mr. Wilson's leaving home and intruding on Europe and his right to speak for the United States. Since he has spokea for the United States, and Europe has heard him gladly, and the United States shown such unmistakable symp. toms of backing him up, it was high time to consider what he had been talking about. Mr. Lodge and Mr. Knox searched the rough draft of the Peace League for weak spots, and seemed to fing many. Doubtless they found more than there were, read into the draft a good deal that it does not contain, read out of it some things that are in it, and furnished it with unwarranted buga. But that’s no matter. By searching criticism they helped with the job. Nobody wants a League for Peace. Whether the Leag works or not depends more upon the abilities and spirit of the nations that go into it and the depth of the they learned in the war, than on the text of the document that records their agreement and defines what they a agreed about ment ought to be as good has boos. Nevertheless, the docu- brains can make it, and cl cise in its provisions, and and Mr. Knox contributed Strate that at th Mr. Wilson such a document. present brought out Mr. Wilson's service has been to rally the pec Christendom to make a lasting world-peace too strong ignored or suppressed. He has possible the acceptance of a feeting that plan—since it is now to go through in some for: to have the help—really th unprecedented beneficence the best brains in every cot fected. It is a great thing that the ter has gone so far that it is 4) for the astute to flout ¢ it, and that now even those who faith in it must apply themsely that it is no more dangerous more faulty than they can hely O document can hold the people of the world except in so far as th feel that it is necessary to be held by it. Our venerated Constitution, whic is a mighty good document, only hel Comicbooks.com