of the Covenant denied that either of these things would be true.

Whether or not the United States should enter the League
[Footnote: The Council of the new League of Nations held its first
meeting January 16, 1920, the United States, of course, not being
represented.] we shall have to leave for the statesmen to decide;
and whether or not the League will accomplish the desired ends,
time alone can prove. But two or three things may safely be said
with regard to any really effective world government.

MIGHT DOES NOT MAKE RIGHT

When people live together in communities, each person has to
sacrifice something of his personal freedom in order that all may
enjoy the largest possible liberty. The same is true of families
in a neighborhood, of communities in a state, of the states in our
nation. There is no reason why it should not be true of nations
which are neighbors to one another. No nation has any more right
to do as it pleases than a person or a family has, IF WHAT IT
PLEASES TO DO IS UNJUST TO ITS NEIGHBORS. The only thing, however,
that a nation can properly be asked to give up IS BEING UNJUST TO
ITS NEIGHBORS. We saw in Chapter IV that government and law
increase rather than decrease the individual citizen's freedom,
and that it is only the "ill-mannered" who feel the restrictions
of a wise government. So, when we finally get a world government
that is good, it will be one that will increase the freedom of all
"good-mannered" nations, restricting only those that are "ill-
mannered."

WHAT "AMERICA FIRST" MEANS