The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-09-22
A PLEA, FOR PEACE.

DEAR FRIENDS THAT which we have
long feared has come upon the nations
t The system of armed peace which the
governments of Europe insisted on main
Ltaining asissne6, as such asystem could
mot fail, sooner or later, to do, in open
war between the two powers which had
most distinguished themselves by the
lexcess of their warlike preparations.
! The conflict whicIl-has now. commenced |
will, beyond doubt, prove to be one of
the most awful in the history of the world. |
1t will involve an incalculable destruc-
ton of human life and property, will fill
myriads Of hitherto happy homes with
horror and anguish, will derange those |
benefcent ties of commerce by which /
mankind are bound to each other, will
arrest the progress of liberty and civiliza-
ton, will envenom mems spirits byseVil |
passions, and will make the very name |
of Christianity-the religion Of mercy
and brotherly love-for the time a
mockery in the earth.
Bntwhile overwhelmed with sorrow
lat this terrible event, we at least can
4 look upon it with conscience free from
remorsc. For many years we have not
ceased, to the extent of our abilities and
opportunities, in our endeayers to impress
'lupon governments and peoples the duty
OF using the lucid intervals of peace in
adopting means which would give some
guarantee to the nations against so dire
a calamity as that which has now over
| taken them. Far from having proclaim
ed, AS we are sometimes mistakenly &C
cused Of doing, an approaching mil
lenium of universal peace, gu voice, on
the contrary, has been one8of constant
i depreciation and warning, on the ground
that there was no security for peace
: while Europe was necessarily pr aparing
e for war, and while the nations were con
tent to leave the continuance Of peace at
a The mercy of the excited passions and
hazardous accidents Of the moment.
Therefore, it is that we have been siren
f uously contending, first, for u mutual and
a simultaneous reduction of these enormous
. ornaments which, kept up professedly
7 in the Interests OF. peaees are the most
: dangerous incentives to war and second
: ly, for the establishment of court of
! arbitration, or some form of international
8 jurisdiction, bygwhich the differences of
nations could be referred to the decision
J of reason and justice instead of prejudice
}, and passion. 1t there be any who doubt
q the efficacy of these means, will they
suggest some means more efficacious, or
. are we to abandon mankind in despair
e to the eternal rule Of barbarism and
S brute force? $50 & goa.sa s29as 8 ssa Z,
What now, dear friends, remains for us
to do? Unhappily, in those countries
J, which are the actual seat of war the
e voice Of justice, reason and religion is
v stifeG, for that is the only condition on
q which war can be prosecuted. Our ex-
cellent felloW-laborers in the. cause of
y peace on the continent have not been
s wantingsto their principles and conyic-,
tions III this awful crisis. Consistently
: and courageousiy, even on the very arena
of warlike agitation, have they, in every
way that was open to them, uttered bold
+ and eloquent protests against the war.
81 But while it may be difficult for them to
persevere in that course--for war is the
most oppressive of tyrants-we must con-
: tinue to denounce this great crime against
, humanity, and, undazzled by the glare of
victory which may attend one side or the,
) other, turn upon it steadily. the Light Of
sober reason and Christian morality We
|. must guard ourselves, and use whatever
influence we possess in guarding others
against the contagion of the war spirit,
which is apt to spread even to those who
| are only spectators of the conflict We
must do all that lies in our~power to
. prevent the area of war being enlarged,
and, especially, we must strenuously resist
r all attempts to involve our own country
t in this dreadful imbroglio We must
4 watch every opening for the restoration
of peace, SO as to encourage Our own and
If
s mediation at the earliest possible oppor-
e tunity, with a view to bringing the war
to an end And, above all, we must
stand prepared, whenever this deplorable
conflict is closed, to invoke the public
opinion Of all christendom in favor of
S such measures being taken aswill for the
future place the peaceof the world be-
u yond the reach of the personal ambition.
of individuals, or the capricious impulses
E of popular passion. And may we not
o hope that the horror and Indignation
which this war cannot fail ultimately to
I inspire will convince all men of the SUI
/ preme folly and wlckedness of referring
! the disputes of nations to the blind and
brutal arbitrament of the sword-will
awaken so stern demand among the
millions of the oppressed populations Of
Europe as can no longer be resisted, for
those measures for disarmament and
a arbitration which we have been SO long
contending, and which seem the only
means of escape from the, vicious circle
l in which the nations have been SO long
revolving?
JOSEPH PEAsE, Pres. London.
Henry RICHARD, Sec. & Peace Society.
Il HOWARD MALcoM,' Pres. American
: AMAsA LORD Sec. Peace Society.