The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-05-20

TuD oo09BE81D - PEACE.
TIE peace ccnfuescs ~ now In ses-
sion. We do not lock for any direct
practical results, bat among those IN
attendance are men who believe 10 the
hisher purposes u tie human race, and
that War h . barbaross relic q the AMI
mai stage Of our existence. War - tbs
most brutal, Illogical and uneonvincing
msens Of determining . difference Of
opinion that could be resorted to. Even
wild beasts would hardly resort to .
vicious crusade Of sxtermination
AGAINST their kind merely because Of
difference Of opinion Beasts XIII and de-
your to satisfy the CRAVINGS Of hunger:
they attack in seif-defense or In de-
fense Of their progeny. Man has not
either OF these excuses. generally. for
setting out to kin or MAIN his fellow
man.
These seem sophomorical comments.
but II In because Of tie brutality and
the uselessness Of war that the confer
ence h being held. II Il attended BY
men who have been trained all their
lives to regard war as one Of the instru-
ments used by governments to sustain
themselves. and to enforce their wishes.
They would almost regard II - absurd
to devote one moments thought 20 the
ethical side Of the subject. For many
generations back, 80 far. indeed. az his
tory and tradition run, the raising Of
armies. the crushing Of foes by death.
and the settlement Of disputes by means
Of the bullet and the sword. have been
regarded - unpleasant necesdties-
only TO be deplored because OF the In
cumbent expense.
1t must seem strange to those men
to - constdsring the humanitarian
question They will not understand e
Il will have to BE shown 70 them that
war u an Unnecessary expense: that
peoples could b. governed more suc-
cessfully II the taxation put upon them
for vast standing armies and mammoth
navies could cease. This might easily
be done. but men who have been edu-
Gated TO believe that = nation IL best
ruled BY fear win Be reluctant 70 give
up the idea that q standing army 10
just a. useful In keeping under control
the taxpayers who pay for the MAIN
tenance OF the army. a. in awning an
enemy beyond the borders.
Under existing conditions In Europe.
social A. well a. political. it would be
exceedingly difficult to bring the gov
erning classes around TO believe that q
standing army could be dispensed with
Indeed. there will be very slight ap-
preach to such a conclusion. Even the
car has not suggested anything like
what he has been credited with by an
excitable section OF the community. He
has only proposed a conference upon the
subject OF limiting the military force CT
each country to its present proportions
All the rest has been done by public
opinion. 1t Ii not unnatural that q
movement to restrict the increase az
military forces should seek to provide
the means by which any further need
Of increase would be averted but the
cxar himself has made no such sugges-
ton.
with becoming sense Of the stand
ing Of the United States and Of Great
Britain In the gathering Of nations.
those two countries have united in an
effort to replace hasty war by deliber-
ate arbitration. They may have to
leave the House in the Woods withou,
having this purpose put into treaties.
but the moral effect viii be TO unite
them more completely I'm the task they
have set for themselves in the educa-
ton OF other powers.