The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1845-10-02
Z. P. WALTON & SONS.
Montpelier, Sept. 5, 1915. Is
For the Voice of Freedom


To Mr. S. Of Pittstord.
DEAR SIR i'm yours, in the Voice of
the 81 July, after noticing my structures
on war, peace, &C., commenting and AMI
madverting, you seem 10 invite rep ~.
TO The proposal | should have sooner re"
sponded; but for the hope that in the pro-
cess Of your treatises on society," should
be furnished with clue to some new and
Interesting train of thought on this impor-
tan, subject
After speaking 10 somewhat f1ttering
terms OF my effort, you proceed TO say
al believe he has not gone very deep into
the origin OF war; nor shown what condl.
ton of society produced it, nor what re-
mains Of the peculiar features Of that con-
dition in the prescn: arrangements of the
world" AS to the origin Of war | be-
lieve the root of the evil lies deep in the
depravity Of fallen man. Says 81. James;
Wars and fghtings; come they not
hence even of your lusrs2 ," As to the
commencement Of the practice; Cain be-
gan it, And the example has been follow
ed in every age so far as the history OF
man has come down to US. For the his
tory OF our world is history of war. As
TO The condition. of society that Produced it;
Jet me say; though it has obtained in the
midst of society in every var lety OF condl-
ton. ye: society, ab'Iroctly considered, is
drect contrast to war, aud consequently
cannot in any condition be justly regarded
the cause Of war. From the social ma
ture Of man that is, his natural adaptation
to society," spring the obligations of Justice
and good faith, the soul and spirit o! law
This is the foundation of that moral pre-,
cept, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself." But war IS an abandonment Of
all law. tits an absolute state Of anarchy
between the beIiigerenIs utter out
rage on the principle of society; and has
SO existed in every age. Yet in propor>
ton as society has improved, in the same
proportion has war receded before IT,
During the dark ages, war was The arb.
ter between individuals 10 a great extent,
as it is between nations now The act of
Alfred the Great in The ninth Century,
regulating revenge by law, and giving 1t
the sanction of religion, was regarded a
great advance on the manners OF the age,
BY ST., Louis Of France and Henry 81 OF
England farther advances were made TO-
wards civilization Those amelorations
began Ivy exempling certain characters
from the trials by battle, then certain caus.
ses, then other causes under certain cir
cumstances, and, so on until the judicial
combat between individuals has become
quite obsolete, leaving no shadow Of it
but the modern duel And, finally, abou.
the year 1880; according TO Ladd, the
trial by battle was formally expunged
from the statute books o. ELg gland.
Yet while the gentle hand Of social re-
finement has been prevailing against the
practice Of war in lis narrower circles, in
ternaliona war still retains its domain.-
And thoug h it has undergone some chang.
es in form and suffered some curtailments,
it can have no afinily with the social i'm
provements Of man. It's very nature is
repulsive 10 such an aliment. Civilized
Warfare" is an absurd contradiction 10
terms: we may as well speak of civilized
barbarity or refined pollution. And civ,
ilzed warfare, falsely so called, ought
long since to have had its place among the
rubbish Of the dark ages. As to the pc
culiar features OF that condition Of society
which produced war, and now retained in
the world" would just say, we retain
just so much in our civil organizations as
we retain Of martial law with direct ref
erence to war, it's appendages and supports.
And retain SO much Of those peculiar fea