New-York tribune., 1867-06-10
rHy DLSGR4cE or TICTORY

THE DISGRACE or IICIORf
That war j. an evil is admitted. but il IL
often forgotten that il is also disgrace. That
with all their civilization and Christianity, ma
tons commonly. and ~ 4 matter of course,
decide their disputes 10y brutal force, and per
vert railroads. tclcg1aphS. mechanical skill and
modern ingenuity to aid the destruction oi
life is simply disgrace 10 the intelligence at
the human race. Seriously considered. the
needle gun and the monitor are more Truly
marvels of mans stupidity than of hls
genius A gun that sends half dozen souls
to the other world in a minute, and makes
half a dozen families miserable; torpedocS that
blow stately fleets into fragment discipline
that converts u harmless mob of men into
terrible column of invaders; bullets that eN-
plodc in the bOdv-thcse are inventions not
one particle less shameful To man than the
poisoned arrow of the Indian or the bloody
war club of the Fiji. Ia the forms OF
civilization they conceal the spirit of
barbarsm. When we hattcr ourselves that
we are better than our fathers. that
England and France and the United states
stand on "A higher grade than A,syrla or Per
sia or Rome proclamation at war makes
| ironic comment on the boast Caesar and Alex
ander are repeated 10y Napoleon and Bismarck.
! A year or two ago were threatened with
war with England about the Alabama claims
that il, two great nations, speaking one Ian
guagc and protesting one religion. were ab".n
cutting each others throats in quarrel abort
few ships In what respect II such clumsy
attempt To settle 4 dispute better than
fight of two saVagcs for u string of beads.
or of two dogs for a bone? Perhaps the bone
il of no use 10 the dog. ~ the Alabama camS
are comparatively unimportant 10 n,, and IN
both eases the fight is for thc right. That Is
very good-we honor the brave cur who defend,
his well gnawcd bone, and in the same degree
honor the nation which defends IT, right; but.
so long as we fi2ht. We stand on the same level
with other fighting animals, and. in modcsty,
should not affect too great - superiority.
Hamilton and Bun were to the ants and
| beetles as angels are to monkeys, yet. when
| they fought their duel a lIObokcn. they found
no better way to settle their dispute than the
ants and beetles have employed from immc-
mortal time.
But now, when one man fights another. il is
held in civilized countries an oilcnSe against
society. The Courts open To decide all
questions, and the solitary ease in which muir
der is lawful is that where it is committed III
self defense against an outlaw. We can shoot
the burglar or the assassin without danger ot
the gallOws, but two gentlemen who quarrel IN
Wallst over a gold speculation cannot safely
disturb the peaceful process of stock gambling
by campaign on the cub-stone. The Courts
are open, we say. lIave you been cheated
10y your grocer, betrayed by your tenant,
4 l....s Co.. a. Il.
peace destroyed, your wife run OF with, ycnr
hat knocked over your eyes, your pocket
picked, your house robbed-in each and every
case the law will redress the wrong Iou
must not fight it out with your encmy-and 80
| far, at least, we have made slight progress
| from the utterly barbaric ages when Cads,
PatIiarchs and Judges of the Civil and Crim
nal Courts were unknown. We have discov-
cred that the wrong that may be done by
arbitramcnt H. less than the good that it
insures Disinterested society decides the
quarrel between man and man. and the gen
eial moderation of humanity meliorates the
Just or unjust indignation of individuals.
| But for nations no such rule practically ex-
lists IL is true that the common sense of Gov
ernments frequently interposes to prevent
wars, striking instance of which was the
effect of the late London Conference, when
Prussia and France, with swords half drawn,
were pacited for a time by the remonstrances
of the other great Powers of Europe. So the
moderation of England and the United States
resulted in keeping the Alabama question from
| the rude decision of the army and navy, and
referring it to arbitration. But these are e1-
ceptional cases Generally, when nations quar-
rel, either the big country bullies the little one
| into submission or they go to war. and in this
| respect Great Britain is no better than Afghan
| istaD, America as bad as DahOmey.
! 1t must not be supposed that we consider all
wars unnecessary. On the contrary, we admit
the necessity of such war 40 that the United
| States has just ended, and assert that to have
made peace with the Rebellion would have
been to betray mankind. But what disgrace
and shame that such necessity can be! We do