The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1853-06-30
No more War.

~ iof"S'', ~ eh0 SociluCe VI ldiSo
portion of our space, we publish the
following Circular from the American
Peace Society. We commend it to the
perusal of our readers =
War has ever been q most fearful
scourge. We can hardly credit or con-
ceive how much evil it has done. 1t
has entailed on Europe alone about
$l0,0 900, 900 of war debts and her
war system is still costing her, in a
time OF peace, full $1,000, 100000 a
year. There is no end to its evils. 1t
brushes or cripples all the great interests
OF neutrality-suspicious., manufactures,
commerce, education, virtue, religion,
every enterprise of benevolence or re-
form.
The bearings of this question on the
spread of Christianity must be obvious
to every one. When war, few years
age, was seriously threatened between
us and England, one of our leading re-
ligious newspapers proclaimed its belief,
that such war would put back the
worlds conversion whole century /;
and it is certain, that our last war with
Great Britain, and even our late war
with Mexico, neither of them three
years in duration, still sacrificed on both
sides more property and more lives than
the Church of Christ has in five centu-
ries expended in spreading the gospel
among the heather England and
America, Gods chosen pioneers in the
worlds freedom, improvement and sal
vation, must continue in peace with each
other, Or this great work, the browning
glory of our age, will inevitable be ar
rested in its progress.
Now, we wish to obviate all danger of
a calamity so terrible. Mr.. Everett, in
late speech before the U. S. Senate,
said, &C do beseech you to let us have
twenty-five years at least of peace and
in these twenty five years we shall ex-
hibit a spectacle of national prosperity
such as the world has never seen on so
large scale" We would fain secure
this great boon through all coming ages !;
and, if peace for only quarter of
century can work such wonders, what
glorious results might we expect from
perpetual peace between these two
nations?
Such result is certainly possible /;
and for its attainment we propose a very
simple and feasible measure. We ask
nations to settle their disputes in essen
TALLY the same way that individuals do
theirs by provision in their treaties
for the adjustment of all future difficult
ties in the last resort by reference to
umpires. This point we have long
urged upon the public mind, until we
begin at length to gain a favorable
hearing from rulers themselves. We
have now reached the men who hold
this question in their hands. In 1851,
Hon. II. S. Foote, of Mississippi, as
Chairman of the Senate's Committee
on Foreign Relations, reported, as their
unanimous recommendation, "that it
would be proper and desirable for the
government of these United States,
whenever practicable, to secure, in its
treaties with other nations, provision
for referring to the decision of umpires
all future misunderstanding that cannot
be satisfactorily adjusted by amicable
negotiations !" and in February, 1853,
Hon. j. r. Underwood, of Kentucky,
from the same Committee, made long
and very able report, which closed with
recommending, /" that the Senate ad-
wise the President to secure, whenever
it may be practicable, a stipulation in
all treaties hereafter entered into with
other nations, providing for the adjust
ment of any misunderstanding or con-
troversy that may arise between the
contracting parties, by referring the
same to the decision of disinterested and
impartial arbitrators, to be mutually
chosen" During the last six months,
four of our State Legislature--all before
whom the subject was properly brought
have passed, with great unanimity,
resolves strongly in favor of the same
measure and there is good reason to
believe, that public opinion, both in
England and the United States, would,
if duty called forth, sanction and ap-
plaud such precaution against future
wars. The late President and his Sec
retary of State, declare their readiness,
after careful examination of the sub
ject, to insort such provision in the
treaty then pending between us and
Great Britain. Several years ago, Lord
John Russell, then Premier of England,
said distinctly to a deputation that
brought this measure to his special
notice, if the United States should