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Show m m i BUILDING IN LIES During many centuries of experience the world has gradually come to the conclusion con-clusion that truth and honesty are the only sure foundation. Liars do. not usually' usu-ally' fare well. International relations have gradually been coming to the same basis. Modern governments have not usually broken treaties with the cheerful ease of former periods. They realize that they must make .good on their promises, if future words are to have any effect. Consequently the faithless violation of all pledges by the government ignores fall human experience. It defies the isvtandards of honor that we have built up through long struggle. It promises the Russians peace without annexations and indemnities, then goes in and seizes great jportions of their territory and demands de-mands a vast indemnity. It broke its solemn pledge to Belgium, and then massacred mas-sacred its men and raped its women be- i cause they 'had spirit enough to resist All through this war it has built its hopes of victory on lies. It started the twar and then claimed it was attacked. It appeals to the terror of its ignorant soldiers sol-diers by telling them that if taken pris- oners they will be subject to barbaric cruelties and death. Can a nation succeed that thus defies the "whole experience of the human race, and all the standards of honor, truth, justice? jus-tice? There are a good many of us who would like to migrate to some other sphere of existence if lies are to trample on truth and run the world. "Truth is mighty and will prevail," is no mere doctrine of closest philosophers. It is the. experience of the ages. What ihas been in the past will be again. No government founded on lies has lived yet. it is not likely that the Hun power can upset all the course of human history. |
