The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-07-07
INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION.
The Danger and Brutality and Cost of
War.

The Danger and Brutality and Cost of
Conquest is gigantic robbery. Warfare
is wholesale murder We arc almost
tempted to declare with Benjamin
Franklin, There never has. been and
there never will be good war OF q bad
peace. % Warfare is the delirium arising
from national fever Of necessity it is
bound to cease It will burn itself out
of the world like ship afre on the sea-
Although force, says Lord Duferin,
still rules the world, although Earl Rus
sell declared at the presentation Of our
Alabama claim, ''I feel that England
would be disgraced forever if such ques-
tions were left to the arbitration of a
foreign government, I" nevertheless force
was not invoked and the question was
arbitrated. Gradually the prophecy OF
Isaiah shall be fulfilled, ''Al1 the armor
of the armed man in the tumult and the
garments rolled in blood shall even be
for burning for fuel of fire." Or, as it
has been phrased IN modern English,
ssAll your white squadrons and your
harbor Notifications are only for future
bonfire" What shall take their place?
Justice and truth and the federation of
man. Arbitration shall replace war: /
speak on this subject now because it IS
diplomacy, it is craftsmanship, it IS
ethics, it is religion, it is the dream OF
the poet, it is The vision Of the prophet
The cannon, cisatlantic and transat-
lantic, proclaims the tidings of war. The
Armenians still die that the European
concert may live. Cuba pours out her
blood as the price Of deliverance. Greece,
faithful to her august traditions, stands
like Leonidas against overwhelming
forces. We in America have not been
exempt. Our bosoms, too, have swelled
with jingo pride; we have hurled def
ance at the foreign foe, and before our
national senator's there has been treaty
with England, opening g new era be-
tween nations where justice and reason
may replace. brute force and violence.
Warfare smelted clans into nations; it
made Greece unit and Italy Roman
state; it fused American states to-
gether as sno5hing could but the hot
fame of war. Military conquest has
been the missionary. Of civilization.
Greece difused culture with the edge OF
the sword, the Roman phalanx planted
law and order, and England has multi
piled new Englands and little Englands
all around the globe
But these benefits were incidental.
They were bought at terrible price,
and they were not motives, but casual
consequences of selfish invasion Modern
conditions cannot square with war.
War means disruption; civilization
stands for union. We are joined by
steam and electricity in network Of
commerce. The nations can 10 longer
live separate lives; their interests are
fast merging; they can hardly fight
without striking themselves. Yet they
persist in making acostly show OF read
mess for battle. And at what a sacri6ce!
Three per cent of the total annual in
come Of European nations is spent on
armaments. One thousand million dol
lars year is wasted thus and 4,G00,-
900 men are under arms. In this coun-
try the national government. costs S5
for each citizen; in Germans, $40; in
England, S13; in France, $40 In Europe
one out Of every FIVE capable men is
ready for active warfare.
Arbitration would promote ciyillza-
ton, would save countless treasure, in
Vulnerable lives, enrich lakz7r with added
millions Of toilers, would make religion
more than solemn mockery and public
wards more than polite fiction. The
Greeks had their amphictyonic council
with jurisdiction within their own bord-
ers. The Roman fetiales had to pass on
the equity of war before the senate de-
creed it. The popes in the middle ages
were aribters in the disputes Of kings.
Even IL 1855 Pope Leo XIII arbitrated
between Germany and Spain regarding
the Caroline islands Henry " CT
France was inspired BY the great Sull,,7
to attempt a senate Of the confederate
European Christian states. In this cen
tury 81 international grievances have
been settled by arbitration, 33 being be-
tween the United States and other coun-
tries. Consider the Alabama claim,
how persistently demanded, how often
sive to British pride, cause of deep II
ritation, yet peacefully decided and paid
at last.
We recognize, Of course, that some
conflicts are inevitable, some issues arc
not to be settled oticr than by srim
struggle The German war of 1866, tie
Franco German war and our own great
civil war Were such necessary encoun-
ters. National independence, vital terri
tory, grave internal issues, are not to be
disposed of by outside arbitration. We
cannot give over quite the entire field to
this ideal tribunal Yet the great bulk
Of disputed questions should be deter
mined by arbitration and America
should take the lead in the great move
ment. This country, by its natural adj