Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-10-18
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JOHN HAY ON WAR.
Rarely if ever have the spirit and
attitude Of the great American repub-
lie with regard to the peace of the
world been more sharply defined than
inthe mastery address of welcome by
Hon. John Hay, secretary Of state, to
the International Peace congress when
it assembled in Boston, October 3,
says the Army and Navy Journal.
RemarHng that no time could be more
suspicious for the gathering of peace
congress than the present when. at
the other end of the world the thunder
of a destructive and sanglinary war
is deafening the nations, while here in
the United States we are preparing to
settle the question Of 9 vast transfer
Of power by an appeal to reason and
ORDERLY procedure under. the sanction
Of law implicitly accented BY eighty
millions Of people, Secretary Hay con-
tinued, saying in part:
I'm the last seven years we have
had . hundred days Of war-but they
put an end forever to bloodshed which
had lasted generation. We landed
9 few platoons Of marines On the
Isthmus last year; but that act closed
without g shot : sanguinary succession
of trivial wars. We marched a little
army to Pekin; but it was to save,
not only the beleaguered legations,
but q great imperiled civilization. By
mingled gentleness and energy, to
which most Of the world beyond our
borders has done Justice, we have
given to the Philippines, il not peace,
at least nearer approach to it than
they have had within the memory Of
men. II our example is worth any
tihing to the world. we have given it
in the vital matter of disarmament.
We have brought away from the far
east S., 900 soldiers whose work was
done, and have sent them back to the
fields of peaceful activity. We have
reduced our army to it's minimum Of
10000 men; in fact, we may say we
have no army, but in place Of, one a
nucleus for drill and discipline. We
have three-fourths of one soldier for
every thousand of the population
proportion which, if adopted by other
powers, would at once eliminate wars
and rumors of wars from the daily
thoughts of the chanceries of the
world.
"But, fixed as our tradition is, clear
as is our purpose in the direction of
peace, no country is permanently i'm
mune to war SO long as the desire and
the practice of peace are not UNIVERSAL
II we quote Washington as an advo-
cate Of peace, it is but fair also to
quote him where he says: TO be
prepared for war is one of the most
effectual means Of preserving peace
And at another time he said: TO an
active external commerce the protec-
ton of a naval force is indispensable.
To secure respect to neutral flag re-
quires naval force organized and
ready to. vindicate it from insult or
aggression T.. . /.
To acknowledge an existence of an
evil is not to support or approve It;
but the facts must be faced. Human
1 history is one long desolate story of
bloodshed. ALI the arts unite in the
apparent conspiracy to give proceed
ence to the glory OF arms. Demos
themes and Pericles adjured the Athen-
ians by the memory Of their battles.
Horace boasted that he had been a
soldier, non sine gloria Even Milton,
IN that sublime sonnet where he said
Peace hath her victories no less than
those Of war, also mentioned among
the godly trophies Of Cromwell, Der
vents stream with blood Of Scots i'm
brued.' :s ,s
In almost every sermon and hymn
we hear n our churches the imagery
Of war and battle Is used. we are
charged 10 tight the good fight Of faith;
we are To sail through bloody seas to
win the prize. The Christian soldier.
ii constantly marshaled to war. Not
only Ia our 1abfts and customs. but IN
Our daily speech ana ii our Utmost
Thoughts, VA are beset ~ the obses.
ssi0n Of conflict and mutual destruction.
~ A. like the law Of ain "A the members
70 which the greatest of the Apostles
refers: VINO shall deliver AZ from
the body cf this death 4
4 en- only I'D you aodspesd ii