The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-05-24


sussansss - - requirement togethsg
vexh IT, clAnss csnpsiling the empaov-
nnnk oE anly compe1ant men. are the m0se
impsrsnnt Of I'll - questions that en-
come up in the fraufxg of the consolida&Dd
annchise.
@-..
TME uAGgD C0NTE1E1CE.
while the peace conference at TAs
uawns Il Only In the prsliminary stages
Of its organization, II y apparent that
sbere = nstse prospect thaf tie ostenat-
NJ ohdsc4 fer which Il Was called IN
getheD--the reduction Of the armamenfs
OF the great nations II ths wusid-wfll
socslve mOrs thAa pamang attention:
and u THE direction few expect any
thing to be accomplished.
This BIZ no means indicates that tAe
peace conference II doomed to failure.
On to conesasy. y u reasonably Ger
tain that . srsat dsal az good will be &C.
comp1ishe6, II nat precisely On the lInes
contemplated In the original movement
for it, assembling. Al reports fran
The Hague Indicate that the important
subjects % n,ediatisn and aThtt5ation.
- uen - - ether propositions brought
forward fsR tie projections a private
property On Tire seas in times u war.
WIN receive favorable consideration.
ana hat soas practical ssreement On
these sutuesae WIN - adopted - the re-
suit az the meeting, although all the
nations represented may not join In or
ecasent 10 - bound by the agreements
reaehed
The strength a. the opposition which
would arise to any proposition to seri-
ously reduces tAs military establishments
Of the world Wa hardly anticipated by
ehoee ssnsuine ones who were looking
forward to The Hague conference
as ushering Ia an era OF universal
pace. II vas TO some extent antlci-
pAted that certain governments would
be reluctant or slow to reduce the eth
cacy Of tAsls ua1l,eary force below the
standafd Of their rivals: and that every
step - that direction. u taken at oil.
would Be taken slowly. hesitatingiy and
with watchful and Jealous eye to zee
that others kept at least even pace.
Another side to the disarmament
question which seems to have attracted
less attention, however, was what
may be styled the commercial aspect Of
H. In the leading countries OF the
world. millions Of capital are invested
and woskmen by the tens OF Thousands
are employed in the manufacture. sole
~. Of the machinery Of war. Great
shipbuildfng establishments. mammoth
gun and small arm factories, powder
mills. armor-plats works. and % on
down to the smaller concerns which
manufacture minor articles Of equip
m<nt. and the cloth factories which
manufacture the material from which
the uniforms are made. all owe their
existence and their support solely to the
work which they receive from the gov
ernmsnts which employ them. or buy
their products.
II such . thing we're possible a. the
immediate cessation Of al work to-
wards Increasing the armament OF the
nations OF the world. the flrst effect
would be the throwing Of tens Of thou
sands Of skilled workmen out OF employ
ment. reducing their spending capacity.
and placing them ~ competitors In the
usually congsssed labor markets OF the
weird: not 10 mention the practical de-
ssructien OF the enormous capital In
vested In factories making war mate
rial. which latter result In itself would
be sufficient to p~cipitate . financial
panic which would extend all over the
world.
II II true that the prssent state Of AZ
fairs Is an artificial one. No one win
question the dsctum that for the wei
fare Of humanity, these thousands oi
men now employed In manufacturing
| the machinery Of war would b far bet
ter employed In manufacturing the ma
| chinery cf peace-addin9 to the indus.
| trial wealth OF the world.
| But II n the old case Of condition
| versus theory. Any step 60 % taker
| In the direction % reducing armamenss
must. from economic reasons purely. II
slew ana very gradual one. that ths
Industries oe the world raay have tsns
to adjust themselves to the gssaasss
| ehanRe4 Even TIE ART tentative steps
| In that direction must necessarily be Ell
| pecsea 70 encounter fhc strenuous
though moi necessarily public. eyposi
tscm q the vast capital row employed I,