The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-04
OPPOSED TO THE WAR.
A DeIuded Writer Who Thinks There
Was Room for Arbitration.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
The Spaniards wish for arbitration and
none can tell why we do not agree to it.
1t is hard to find one sensible person who
is in favon CT the war; VIC are in a state
where the rational people have to stand
aside and let the irrational manage. All of
US are working people; we have no idle
classes, save a few tramps and the persons
with feathers and lint in their hair who
stand about reading bulletins all day, look
ing as If they slept iE incubators, and work
ing people love peace and prosperity. Still,
a certain shallow division of our population
does Show the world that, so far as it is
concerned the deportation of the Caucasian
race to America has not improved the race
but has deteriorated it; our shallow division
has been long sunk into the excitability and
combativeness of a low grade of humanity;
moderation and imperturbability are high
traits, heat and rage are low ones. Our
shallow brethren have dropped to the con-
dition of Europeans in the dark ages when
wars of excitement swept over the people,
dancing maniacs, Negotiating maniacs,
children's crusades and the like. Our shall
low fellow-citizens are always in a state
of maniacal rage about something, gener-
ally away off, often about malefactors far
away. III a man who cannot speak the truth
about anything writes a series of sensation
al, untrue magazine articles about Siberia
our shallow folks begin to yelp and roar
with Indignation against Russia and the
din of their roaring has the effect of es-
trangiEs Russia from us forever. Imagin-
airy cruelty to women and children is the
theme which makes our shallow ones stand
on their heads most frantically. After they
have forgotten Siberia they are furious
ABOUT Bulgarian atrocities or about AR
TnnniGn npYJnlfiaGF - on nhA.,A - 4-s-9-- -
III france who has been condemned by the
proper tribunal and according to the laws
and wishes of his country. Dur shallow
iolks must be indignant about something, it
is the sensation they live on, and their wild
baWlfngs have now estranged France. Thus
gradually they are estranging from us each
country OF the globe by their polite little at
tentlor OF calling names, and the like, not
withStanding that their ignorance of all
these countries is plain. They do not know
that one war is about as cruel as another,
and that there is no reason for screaming
over one war more than another. The more
we know about a foreign country the more
we respect and admire it; the less we know
about a foreign country the more we despisc
and hate it. Thee ignorance of our excitable
shallow ones was illustrated last year by the
sending of a ship-load of food from a West
ern State to the famine in India, the ship
being sent to a port from which no road
led to the famine. The absence of roads in
Asia is the cause of the famines in Asia
the English are always bodybuilding. At
present our shallew brothers are occupied
- ohAi NhC oBuiiio Oo ChulihS anu
pigs Pigs and skunks they never have
been, far from it. The Spanish character
stands high in general estimation as cool.
thoughtfui and sedate. and not shallowly
excitable. The shallow talk now afoat
about history Is not the talk of
those who have a feeling for history. but a
preposterous anger about things that hap
pened three hundred years ago. The suscep-
tibility of our shallow boys to excitement
makes them resemble a crowd of jumping
jacks that can be set in motion by any SEN
sation as by an electric spark, and half our
Congress is composed of these jumping
jacks. naturally jumping harder than their
precious constituents, while the judicious
look on in silence at their showing off. Not
withstanding the insulting contemptuous-
picted by Rudyard Kipling's line about
Americans:
They cringe for a crumb of praise
They want a war because they want to
figure in the eye of England and Germany
that Is one reason why they want a war.
What would England do in our place, what
would Germany do?' They say, as If we
should do as England and Germany do. who
ways concern us not. However, we know
that England and Germany would act ac-
cording to their own old, deliberate CUSTOM,
not at all according to the impulses of the
hare-brained, not at all as our hare-brained
fellow-citiZens think right. Our President
has not the ohstinacy that is aroused by OPP
position; many on old woman has it, every
one whose judgment speaks with decision
should have it. He is put in his place in
order to use his common sense against the
wishes of the mob. but he has been swept
on by the mob. Hare-brained rage soon
cools: if he had compelled a long wait we
should have had arbitration. a better ex-
animation of the Maine, and instead of our
childish war. some other fool-eXcitement
would have coupled our unthinking in a
short time. We have endured enough COM
mercial depression-seven years of it at a
STRICKLAND all due to one useless excite
ment or another. Europe has enjoyed pros
perity for many years. England is reduc-
ing her debt and taxes, while we are
sWamped in seas of care on account of con-
slant uncertainty. Our rational people are
heavy laden by reason of the follies of the
irrational MARY DEAN.
TpdiapaooIis Nav