The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-13
Peace Themes.
council

Z t would be "a mistake We're the III
preston to to spread that at the
Auditorium meeting held in Butte,
Thursday night, the proposition to
advocate and uphold peace was
voted down. Somehow, the notion is
abroad that this happened, although
none of the newspapers made an
nouncements to that effect; and, in
deed, there is no warrant for the I'M
preston we have referred to. Proba-
bly, this wrong report is not widely
spread; in any event, the peace adVo-
Gates were not voted down.
The meeting of Thursday night was
held under the auspices of the Butte
Woman's club. Under the initial ac-
ton of kindred clubs, meetings have
been held in many American cities. In
Instances these meetings, after dis
cussion, have adopted resolutions in
ardent support of the Cars meeting
of this month at The Hague and i'll
advocacy of a permanent peace tri-
thority so to arbitrate. international
differences that there shall be no more
war.
1T is not remotely in the mind of the
Standard to slur the managers of the
club meetings that have been held in
eastern cities; yet the reports of them,
as they have reached this office by
way of the Standards exchange table.
really do convey the suspicion that
come of the clubs packed the caucus"
us is occasionally said of what men do.
That is to say, some of these meetings
seemed, apparently, not to give both
sides show" they have whooped it
up Justify for peace in their oratory
and in their resolutions
1t was different in Butte. The Thurs
day meeting was thrown wide open by
the members of the Womans club. Of
course, they selected certain gentle
men as the speakers for the occasion
but, in assigning topics, they let it be
understood that 1t was to be an occas-
ion for free-for-all expressions of opin-
ion. So that the spirit shown by the
promoters of the meeting was the sort
of spirit that ought to govern on all
occasions when citizens meet for the
discussion of problems that touch the
common good.
What the result would have been,
had the issue discussed Thursday night
been submitted to the audience, the
Standard does not venture to guess,
although from the manner in which
this or that platform opinion was re-
ceived by the audience, we should re-
gard it as a pretty safe guess that, had
there been vote, the peace side of the
house would have scored the majority
Somehow, the Auditorium thermometer
appeared to range near the peace mark
Thursday night.
The fact is, as was revealed at this
Auditorium meeting. that two distinct
questions present themselves at all OF
these gatherings of citizens where
the Cars congress and the question of
a permanent peace tribunal are dis
cussed. Good citizens may be said,
practically to a man, to uphold the
main propositions which the Cars
congress at The Hague will formulate
1t Is as good as instructive with civil
lied men to be in favor of any agencies
that serve to reduce the likelihood of
war. Indeed, we believe it to be true
that citizenship in the United States
has, within a twelvemonth, reached
emphatic conclusions on this score
manifestly, militarism is much less in
favor in this country to-day that il
was in the summer of 1898, when, for a
time, the imperialists had the floor and
managed to hold it unhindered. In our
own state, for instance, We believe it
to be indsputably true that the sober
second thought" has resulted in a re-
versal from the rather belligerent SEN
tment which, say twelve months ago,
appeared to dominate in Montana COM
munities.
In any event, against the scope and
the purpose of the congress soon to
assemble at The Hague, there are,
apparently, no protests or objections,
SO far as the American people are~con-
cerned. On the contrary, this country
lauds the congress and bids it good
speed But it is different when We
come to the larger question which in
wolves permanent international peace
tribunal 1t is not at all clear, as we
get the run of current opinion, that the