The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-03-24
The Czar's Rescript
Discussed.
WAR is TOO COSTLY
To Be Longer Thought Of
By the Great Powers.

of international arbitration aired their
views last evening at an enthusiastic
peace meeting in Salisbury hall. Mrs.
Edwin D. Read, Rev. Benjamin r.
Trueblood, secretary of the American
Peace Association, and William Justin
Mann discussed the cars recent re-
script in favor of disarmament. The
probable effect of the international
| congress to be held at the Hague next
May was also dwelt upon.
The various peace societies in this
country intend pursuing a vigorous Ell
| ucational campaign before the Hague
} convention and last nights meeting
was but a feeler toward a large mass
meeting in the interest of peace to be
held later on. The keen interest dis
played makes it extremely likely that
the large meeting will be held, though
no definite plans have yet been formed.
The meeting YVES held under the aus
pieces of the Society of Antiquity. Will
| liam Justin Mann was the first speak
er. He spoke briefly on America as the
great formative power in history. He
| thought the United States system of
adjudicating differences between states
| is the logical model for European
| states to adopt in settling their differ
| ences. He thinks there should be a
| federation Of the nations of the world
| with an international supreme court TO
arbitrate differences. He spoke of the
efforts of David Dudley Field and other
| legal lights to bring such a scheme into
being and thought the time not far dis
tant when its accomplishment would be
a reality.
| Mrs. Meade confined herself mostly
to statistics. She said in many ways
war was more humane than ever be-
fore There is no privateering, no such
! hospital horrors as in the old DAYS and
no wanton persecution of women and
children. At the same time war is
more deadly. The French soldier of to-
| day has a rifle 49, times more deadly
| than his father bore in the war of 1870.
| He carries seven times more cartridges
| The bullet shoots straighter and farth-
| er ana is more deadly. The artillery
gun is 232 times as powerful as rs years
ago. Equipments have to be changed
| three times in ten years or as often as
superior kind of rifle is invented
! These changes are made at enormous
expense. Each nation spends only from
one half TO one twelfth as much for
education as it does for war. And there
is nothing to show for the expense. One
nation builds four new battleships
Every other nation does the same and
the military efficiency of the first is
| nowise increased.
| Europe has spent 1000 millions getting
ready. This amount would make 6
mile of 81 bills and 50 miles high. The
| average peasant makes no more thar
! 500 yearly, yet the average public debt
is 5000. This debt must be paid some
time, or it will end in bankruptcy and
population, Cecil Rhodes railway
! tair To
by the amount spent by Europe on he1
| armies in the space OF five years.
The objection raised by many peo-
| pie, said the speaker, on the question
as to the cZar's sincerity, amounted tC
little. She personally believed the czar
! sincere. But whether he is or not, he
will not dominate the convention, and
| the free discussion of international con-
| Germs by the powers cannot but be
| beneficial. All these matters are need
| lessy delayed waiting for some one to
| take the lead. But the lead has been
taken. the invitation made. Advantage
| should be taken OF the fact
Rev. B. F. Trueblood, who hopes to be
present at The Hague convention In an
unofficial capacity, was the next speak
err. He said the effect the thousands of
millions Of dollars demanded by militia
rism would have IL devoted tousefulpur-
| poses, was enough to make one giddv
| No wonder. he said, that missions and
colleges and other good enterprises Ian
guish under the present system. Even
the United States is forced to spend
one-half its revenue on pensions and
other military enterprises.
AS to the car, his rescript could be
considered in three ways. Some think
it the dream of an enthusiast who wants
to startle the world with a bubble. 9th
ers think it political dodge either to
remove attention from the miserable
condition of the Russian peasantry. OF
to gain strength for the coming strug-
| gle with England. The speaker thought
the true explanation of the rescript was
this.
He said that previous to the issuance
of the document, the car had been
reading the works of Biloxi. the great
Russian authority on war. Bliokh saws
that if the present rate of enlargine
armament is continued in SO years
! Russia will have a proletariat of mis-
i cradle, halfstarved, half-naked peas
ants. In 25 years the nation will be on
the verge of bankruptcy and repudia-
ton if in spirit of reckless bravadC
it does not previously invite war in a
spirit of self-defense.
Up to the beginning of the present
century, said Mr.. Trueblood there was
not single peace society. Now there
are 4OoO. Italy has 20, Germany so AND
has even been formed in Odessa
Russia. The famous Inter parliamen-
tary Peace Union of Europe has a
membership Of 1900 statesmen and
diplomats of VariCIls nations all pledged
to do their utmost to insure peace. II
would now be impossible for any ma.
tional assembly to force n ruler intc
war as has been the case in the past
i Arbitration has grown with the cen
fury. Before 1900 there was not a single
case of international arbitration: but
IN the succeeding years there has been
an average of one a year. Ten arbitra
tlons are now pending. All this goes
to show that the cars pronunciamento
IS in accord with the spirit of the age,
/ Regarding what he expected the CON
NentiOn to accomplish the sneaker
stated that he anticipated little in the
way OF sweeping reductions or arma
ments, but three important things will
! probably be accomplished
| fliSl tne Geneva agreement con-
corning the Red Cross, will be extend
ed to sea as well as to land. Secondly.
| prlNateering will be entirely abolished
by all the % or 30 powers represented
| Thirdly, it will be agreed that in cor.
tain cases which may be determined.
the nations will agree to employ the
! method of arbitration instead of war.
II this latter is accomplished, the ar
maments will fall away and decay bv
an entirely natural process.
Inc speaker concluded by saving
that this was the first time in history
where all the leading nations Of tbe
/ world had met in convention on a mis-
sion of peace, for the betternent of
i the condition Of mankind He said no
! would rather have been the author re-
the cars rescript than Of any known
writing excepting only the New Tesla