The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-09

| Whlle as for Russia itself, 1t is certain
that all the resources and energies of
her government, fully employed for 20
years, could not oyer-improve her vast
estate.
But we need but look for such a Rus
| sian peace proposal as that. Now Rus
| sla wants 10 years of peace; first, to
| carry her influence and railroad
| through Persia, SO as to place western
Afghanistan, Herat, the Heri-Rud and
| the most convenient approach to Indian
| completely at her mercy; second, to
| complete the Siberian and Manchurian
| railroads, to drill and organize Man
| churian lines and to accumulate stores
in view of further aggression against
| China, and third. to work by railroad
! extension and Norwegian disaffection
| toward securing from Norway the Gce
| tree) Varranger ford. Moreover, he
| anticipates that on the death of Francis
| Joseph, the Austrian Germans will
| wish to enter the German empire, and
| the czech's will appeal to Russia, and
! he asks will France and Russia stand
| quietly aside? The approach of this
| crisis seems to make the proposals Of
| the czechs will appeal to Russia, and
manent disarmament, ring with very
hollow sound " 1t would be
political convenience that peace should
be maintained.
Now that the sleeping nations are to
it is possible that the conference may
lead to enmity rather than to friend
| ship. The daily press continues to re-
| peat every few days that the peace re-
| script was only the result of deep
| laid plan to get Russia out of a diff
| Guilty and perhaps to get England into
| one. Whatever truth there may be in
this view of the matter or at any rate,
in one part of it, there is no occasion
to keep repeating it as though there
was nothing else in the cars pro-
| posals.
Yet though the ear may have got on
| the wrong lines in his details, the un-
| derlying idea is by no means absurd
| or even impracticable. Perhaps uni
| versal peace may be as far off as ever
| after the czar's conference, and uniVer-
! sal disarmament no nearer, but, never
| theless, a serious consideration of the
| possibility of revising the rules and
| conditions of warfare is really called
| for, and there is no reason why the dis
| cussion Of this subject should not pro-
| duce some practical and beneficial re-
suits.
Relentless though war may be, there
are many strong arguments for it's con-
| tinuance. On one hand war may be
| regarded as part of those vast opera
| tons which nature ceaselessly carries
| on in the developing and shaping of the
| universe. Her great purpose is the fos-
| tering of strength, not physical strength
! alone, but the combination of moral, in
tellectual and physical strength. Ma
| lions to live, must work; to prosper,
must trade; to keep their prosperity.
must be able and willing to fight. Strife
| must mark the development of the flu
| ture as of the past. Again war is SIM
ply phase of competition which pre-
| walls alike on sea and land
1t is said that the best means reveal
| or IN wv OF ahy
the vigorous peoples have supplanted
! the weaker has been war, without
which change and movement would
| have ceased.
Change and movement, the growth of
| those who use their opportunities at the
expense of those who abuse them, are
| as essential now and in succeeding
| times as in the past. Notwith-
| standing the many arguments for and
| against changing from the present man
| ner of settling national variances, 1t
must be allowed that the support of a
| great standing army represents large
| percentage of our men whose physical
development would enable them to en-
| gage in cultivating our land and IN
other such labor for the advance of
civilization, rather than be the idlers of
| the barracks, impoverishing the citizens
with taxes for their support and equip
| mentS. If the people have to be taxed,
let such appropriations be utilized in
| building schools and colleges for our
youths, libraries, public parks, mu-
seums, etc, for the education and
amusement of all and asylums for our
aged and infirm; let us rather protect
and advance our fellow men, whom
| God has chosen to set upon this earth
| of ours, rather than destroy and slay
by the most advanced methods of war;
| fare, leaving naught but devastation
behind. Let us have peace.
DIR. Craig's Address.
|