The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-08
NILITARISM AND DEMOCRACY.
Carl SEIZURE Speaks Before American
Political Scientists.

Political Scientists.
Philadelphia, April THE third annual
meeting of the American Academy of Po-
liticai and Social Science began in this
city this afternoon and will continue to
morrow
Many distinguished men from all over
the country are in attendance, and the
sessions promise to be more than usually
interesting.
The general topic for discussion is 1.-THE
Foreign Policy of the United States, Com
mercial and Political" This is divided into
two heads, one for each day, to-days
subject being The Government of the
Dependencies"
Prof. Samuel McCune Lindsay of the
University of Pennsylvania, first vice
president of the association, occupied the
chair.
There were four formal addresses to-
day, by Theodore S. Wooisey, professor
of international law, Yale University;
Prof. A. Lawrence Lowell. Harvard Uni
versity; W. Allyne Ireland of London and
Prof. E. w. Huffcut, Cornell University.
At the night session Prof. Edmund j.
James of Chicago University, the presi-
dent of the academy, was in the chair
The report on the work of the academy
for the year was read. The only address
of the evening was by Hon. Carl Schurz
on the subject, 'Militarism and Democ-
racy." The following are extracts from
Mr.. Schurz's speech:
The subject of "Militarism and Democ-
racy," which has been assigned to me for
| discussion. is at the present moment of pc
| culiar interest We are apt to speak boast
| fully of the progressive civilization char
! acterzing this age While the very foun-
/ ,;,rs IT.
dispensation of justice by peaceable meth
DDS between nations as well as individuals
instead of the rule of brute force, it is a
singular fact that al the close of this
much-vaunted nineteenth century we be-
hold the ma tione of the world wing with
each other in increasing their ornaments
on land and sea, exhausting all the re-
sources of inventive genius and spending
the treasure produced by human labor with
unprecedented lavishness to develop means
of destruction for the defense of their pos
session, or the satisfaction of national
ambitions or the settlement of interna-
tionaf differences, on a scale never before
known.
Thus the very advances m the sciences
and the arts which constitute one part Of
our modern civilization are pressed into
the service of efforts to perfect the en-
gineres of death, devastation and oppres-
sion which are to make brute force in our
days more and more terrible and destruc-
! tive, and to render the weak more and
more helpless as against the strong. 1t
! looks as if the most civilized Powers, al
| though constantly speaking of peace, were
preparing for a gigantic killing
moiishing match such the most barbar-
Gus ages have hardly ever Witnessed and
this at the expense of incalculable sacri-
| flee to their peoples.
Nothing could in this respect be more
| instructive and pathetic than the appeal
! in behalf of peace and disarmament adj
dressed last year by the Car of Russia
/ to all the Powers represented at his
| court. .
History shows that military glory is the
most unwhoIesome food that democracies
| can feed upon 1t withdraws the popular
attention from those problems and inter
| ests which are, in the long run, of the
/ greatest consequence. 1t produces a
strange moral and political color blindness.
1t creates false ideals of patriotism and
civic virtue.
Nobody is inclined to underestimate the
value of military valor. But compared
with military valor, we are apt to under
estimate the value of other kinds of valor
/ which are equally great and no less some
times even more, useful TO the community
l do not refer only to such heroism as that
of the fireman, or the member of the life
! saving service on the coast, who rescues
human beings from the flames or from
the watery grave at the most desperat e
risk of his own life, and whose deeds are
ali the more heroic as they are not in
/ spired by the enthusiasm of battle and
pale into nsignfcance by the side of anv
! act of bravery done in killing enemies in
the field. speak also of that moral cour
age more important in a democracy. which
defies the popular cutlery in maintaining
what IL believes right, and in opposing
| what it thinks wrong
Blood spilled for it on the battlefield Is
often taken TO sanctify and 70 entitle TO
popular support any cause. however oues-
| tionable. 1t is called treason to denounce
such cause, be it ever so bad 1t Is call
ed patriotism to support It, however
strongly conscience may revolt against n
| Take for instance the man who honestly
believes our war against the F'illpinos 10
be unjust If that man, faithfully obevine
the voice of his conscience, frankly ds.
nounces that war, and thereby risks the
public station he may occupy. and the
friendship of his neighbors, and resolute-
| " meets the clamor Vilifying him as %