Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-12-14

I
or by luxury. or misled by false teachings,
| have sbrunk in unmanly fashion from do
| ing duty that was stern and that needed
| self sacrifice, and have sought TO hide from
/ iSaoble motives, by calling them lore Of
| peace. The peace Of tyrannous terror the
| justice, all these should be shuuad as we
| shuh unrlghteous war, The goal to set be-
Tore us as nation, the goal which should
| De set before all mankind, is the attain
| ment OF the peace Of justice, Of the peace
which comes when each nation Is not mere
| ly safeguarded in its own rights, but scrup-
ulously recognizes and performs its duty
toward others. Generally peace tells for
| righteousness; but IL there Is conflict be-
| tween the two, then our fealty is due first
! 10 the cause of righteousness U1righteous
wars are common, and unrighteOus peace is
| rare; but both should be Stunned. 1t is our
| duty To remember that nation has no more
| right to do I'M ,.stice to another nation,
strong or weak, than an individual has to
do intrstice 70 another individual; that the
SAINT lGoral law applies in one case as in
the other. But we must also remember
that it is as much the duty of the Nation
10 tuard Its own rights and its own Inter
ests as II is the duty of the individual so
to do. Within the Nation the individual
has now delegated this right to the State,
that Is, to the representative OF all the in
dlYiduals, and II is "A maxim of the law
that for every wrong there is a remedy
But IN international law we have not adj
yanced by any means Ga far as we have
advanced in municipal law. There is as
yet no judicial way of enforcing a right
in international law. When one nation
wrongs another or wrongs many others,
there is no tribunal before which the wrong
doer can be brought. Either 1t Is meces-
sary supinely to aequesce in the wrong
and thus put premium upon brutality
and aggression. or else 1t Is necessary for
the aggrieved nation Valiantly to stand up
for Its rights Until some method Is de-
vised by which there shall be a degree of
international control over offending nations
1t would he q wicked thing for the most
civilized powers, for those with most sense
of International obliga tons and with keen
est and most generous appreciation of the
difference between right and wr0ng to dis
arm. II the great civilized nations of the
present day should completely disarm the
result would mean an immediately recrud-
escence Of barbarism in one form OF an
other. Under any circumstances a sufficient
armament would have to be kept up to
serve the purposes of international police;
and until International cohesion and IL
sense Of International duties and rights are
FAR more advanced than ut present, a ma
tion DESTROYS both OF securing respect for
Itself and of doing good to others must
have force adequate for the work which
it feels is allotted to 1t as its part of the
general world duty, great free people
owes it to itself and to all mankind not TO
sink into helplessness before the powers of
evil.
Second Hague Conference.
We are in very way endeavoring to help
on, with cordial good viii, every movement
WHICH wall ltuu To DEtuS US TITO more
friendly relations with the rest of man
kind In pursuance of this policy / shall
shortly lay before the Senate treaties of
arbitration with all powers which are will
ing to enter into these treaties with US.
Furthermore, at the request of the Inter
parliamentary Union, an eminent body COM
pOsei of practical statesmen from all e0un-
tries, have asked the Powers TO join with
this government in a second Hague con-
ference at which it Is hoped that the work
already so happily begun at The Hague may
to, -ff,l afa TatE n
pletion.
Policy Tow ard Other Nations of West
ern Hemisphere.
1t is not true that the United States feels
any land hunger or entertainS any projects
as regards the other nations of the West
ern hemisphere save such as are for their
welfare. All that this country desires is TO
see the neighboring countries stable, or
DERBY, ana prosperous II nation SHOWS
that it knows how to act with reasonable
efficiency and decency in social and political
matters, ii 1t keeps order and pays its OBJ
legations, it need fear no interference from
the United States. Chronic wrong doing,
or an impotence which results III a general
loosening of the ties of civilized society,
may in America, as elsewhere, ultimately
require Intervention by some civilized ma
Ton, and in the Western hemisphere the
adherence of the United States to the
Monroe doctrine may force the United
States, however reluctantly, in nagrant
c2s,s of such wrongdoing or impotence, to
the exercise Of an international police
power
ing such steps as we have taken in regard
to Cuba Venezuela and Panama, and in
endeaYorng to circumscribe the theater or
war in the Far East, aud to secure the
open door in China, we have acted in our
own interest as well as in the interest OF
humanity at large. There are, however,
cases in which, while our own interests are
not greatly involved, strong appeal IS
made to our sympathies. Ordinarily 1t is
very much wiser and more useful for US
to concern ourselves with striving Tor our
own moral and material betterment here
at home than to concern ourselves with
trying to better the condition of things in
other nations. We have plenty OF sins OF
our own 10 war against, and under Ordi-
nary circumstances we can do more for the
general uplifting of humanity by striving
with heart and soul to put stop to civic
corruption, TO brutal lawlessness and VIC
lent race prejudiceS here at home than by
passing resolutions about wrongdoing else
where Nevertheless there are occasional
crimes committed on so vast a scale ana
of such peculiar horror as to make us
doubt whether Ii Is not our manifest duty
to endeavOr at least to show our disap-
prevail of the deed and our sympathy with
those who have suffered BIZ it. The cases
must be extreme In which such course Is
Unsuitable. The cases. in which. we could
Interfere by force of arms as we nterfered
to put a stop to intoierable conditions IN
CuhG are necessarily very few. 1t Is in
evltable that a people like ours, which IN
spite of certain very obvious shortcomings,
Z
sistent practice it's belief in the principles
OF civil and religious libC y and Of orderly
freedom, should desire eagerly to give ex-
preston to its horror on an occasion like
that Of the massacre of the Jews in hshe-
| nef. or when Ii witnesses such systematic
| and longextended eruel.f and oppression
| as the cruelty and oppression of which the
| Armenians have been the victims, and
| which have won for them the indignant
| pity of the civilized world.
The Navy.
The strong arm of the government In
enforcing respect for It's just rights In IN
| ternational matters is the Navy of the
United States | most earnestly recon-
mend that there be no halt in the work OF
| upbuildng the Americas Navy. We have
undertaken to build the lsthmian CanaA
| We have undertaken TO secure for our
selves our just share IN the trade OF the
I our citizens frota improper treatment IN
! foreign lands We continue steadily to m
sist on the application Of the Monroe doc
/ trine to thu Western hemisphere. Unless
our attitude in these and all similar mat
| tiers is to be mere boastful sham we can
/ not afford to abandon our naval program
\ our voice Is now potent for peace. and Is
[ war
The war which now unfortunately RACES
1 In the far East has emphasized In striking
/ fashion the new possibilities of naval war
| fare. The lessons taught are both strategic
| and tactical and are political az Wen as
| mil.tdVy. The experiences Of the war have
| shown IN conclusive fashion that while
/ ers are Indispensable. and fast lightly arm
/ ed and armered cruisers very usefui, YET
/ that the main reliance. the main standby.
/ in any navy worthy the name must &c the