Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-17
THE PICTIONS OF PACIFISM

| tion' which aroused In you the indignation
which has induced you to hold to public ex-
ecration what you oblisingiy term ues
about pacifism.'
I'VE profess. on all occasions. for the
| soldier who accomplishes honestly his
duty for the army. which is France, and
for the flag. which Is the symbol of the
4 patrte, the respect which II due them
We protest more than any other against
the doctrines Of so-called humanftarfans
| In whose name 1t Is pretended to estab-
lish on democratic principles forgetful-
| ness Of individual or collective duties.
| *
when under the first impression of the
celebrated circular of August IL. 1898.
one spoke everywhere of
| OAoe@A uo- general disarmament, and
ment. already, 1t was said, can
| mons and bombs to be cre-
ated into trophies of peace were to be
deposited at the feet of plenipotentiaries
assembled at The Hague. we. the pacifics.
to the scandal Of many. filed exceptions.
! Before thinking Of Diminishing armies. we
said. 1t is necessary first to place our
selves in condition to have no longer
the same want nor the same desire to
| employ armies. Render possible and
| habitual the legal and amiable solution
OF conflicts; educate peoples in disabus-
| ing them Of the idolatry of force: spread
1 y
| will become possible to speak seriously
| of the gradual and simultaneous reduc-
| t1on of military responsibilities. Or per-
| haps, the reduction may come gently and OF
| itself, was lost by our grandfathers
| the habit OF unsheathing on every occa-
| sion at the corner of the street.
| You do not ignore. sir, the treaties ana
1 international agreement which JUSTIFY
| the words of Baron de Ploenor In opening
| the eleventh session of the interparlia-
mentary union in 1908, that Arbitration
| henceforth constitutes part of the reg
| ular regime of civilized nations. And II
| you object that wars continue In spite or
| this progress we reply as did Count Al
bert ApponY at the interparliamentary
| conference of Budapest in 1896; One sees
| the evil that exists: one does not see the
evil that has disappeared If of five wars
| you have prevented two, what service
| have you not rendered humanity
| Baron d'Estournelles follows in turn. and
| space unfortunately forbids a lengthy cita-
| ton OF his communication to M. Brunetlere:
m. Director: You oblige me to defend
myself Who says pacific says coward.
| as you believe; it Is an error. 1t takes more
| courage to go against prejudice and passion
than to follow. 1 esteem great deal more
| the so-called towards who protested with
NJ Theirs the 10Th Of July. 1870, against the
dissimulations preparatory to war. than the
so-called braves who prevented them from
speaking, accusing them of wishing for
| peace at any price. crying to Berlin! to
Berlin! deceiving France. as Germany was
deceived. as the people are always deceived
|
| them the one against the other.
II will defend myself In any case In
different way from you. The word mensonge
Qie) is a part Of the vocab-
0uesIAoA Oh ulary Of your theories and
Truth. I never employ 1t lightly; 1t
| is gratuitous provocation
| which I resented formerly and which I
disdain today. Strong arguments are better
thar strong words. 1t has not occurred to
me to suspect your good faith; why do you
| test mine. which you know since our
| youth? I have presumed too much upon
| your Partially since 1 asked you to recon-
mend to the readers of the Revue our work
on International Cancellation. You have rec
commended it in your way. do not com
plain, my friends and l. we do not fear dis
| cGssion. n9r light. We fear only ignorance.
Speaking of the oppressive military
charges which weigh upon the world we
| have not reproduced the official protesta-
| tons Of all government against the excess
of charges. We have not recalled the ia
nous circular OF Count Mouravief, the cate
goric and unanimous wish of the conference
| at The Hague No. we said, let us COM
| mence by entering little by little arbitra-
| ment In international customs: that done.
we can then speak. not of disarmament
| which is absurd, nor of reduction of arma-
! ments, but Of a Limitation, of a suspension
| in the increase of military expenditures.
"The convention of The Hague passed for
|
of one grant, a work condemned in adj
vance, still-born; we have rehabilitated it
and applied 1t. Chapter III Of that con-
vention gave to Russia and England the
| liberty of arranging amicably the incident
at Hull. which might have degenerated
into an irreparable conflict. The war in
the orient which we are accused with not
having prevented, what would it have been
If France and England ip place of practic
ing international Cancellation had continued
their policy of pin pricking? France would
| have been dragged along with Russia and
| England with Japan. Germany being left
| free to make her choice. The war would
have become general. And yesterday when
the question Of Morocco brought France
and Germany face to face, these in
| fluences. what has been their effect? Have
4 they not contributed to the pacification of
| each.
Our population of 3S millions. and con-
sequently resources. stationary,
whilst the population of Ger
frahce anu many has reached GO mill
Others. lions, that of the United
| States 20 millions. the dou-
BILE of ours. In my speech in the senate on
| the subject of increased naval expenditures
| l said that it were better to profit by the
| repeated declarations of England and SUBJ
| nit the subject to serious study. and this
is what neither dealers in cannon nor VEN
doris of patriotic journals will prevent.
| ''Go on. sir. continue your resistance,
main fierce. intractable. Strike your best
directed blows against good-intentioned in
noyations. Put in your best in the eternal
and necessary conflict of human efforts,
| and remain attached to your idea. But
permit me to remain attached to my work,
and understand that If my ideal Is not
| yours, 1t is an ideal all the same. Refrain
| from reminding me that death is not the
| greatest evil. and that life Is not the great
| est good Tell me rather that we are re-
solved to sacrifice everything to ideal
| And IL thus may serve, each in a diff
| ferent camp country which cannot be
| separated from the present period of pro-
gressien."
| M. Brunetiere rejoins in closing the triple
| discussion that none of the problems that
| maintain the world under the regime of
| armed peace may ever be solved other than
by force NJ. Brunetiere does not like war
more than his contradictors; but he insid-
iously< submits that because nations are
| military creations for a fact, their exist
ence must be maintained by the means that