Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-12-05

the condition that we should wait I'M
til the end of the war then wag:ng be-
tween Russia and Japan. The emper-
or of Russia. Immediately after the
treaty of peace which so happily ter
minated this war. IN a note presented
to the president on Sept. Is through
Ambassador Rosen. took the Initiative
in recommending that the conference
be now called. The United States gov
eminent in response expressed its cor
dial acquiescence and stated that IL
would as matter of course take part
IN the new conference and endeavor TO
further its aims. We assume that all
civilized governments will support the
movement and that the conference is
now an assured fact. This govern
ment will do everything in its power
TO secure the success of the conference
to the end that substantial progress
may be made in the cause of interna-
tional peace. justice and good will.
This renders it proper at this time TO
say something as to the general ati-
tude of this government toward peace.
More and more war is coming u he
looked upon as in itself lamcntable
and evil thing. a wantOn or useless
war or Il war of mere aGg-esSion-in
short any war begun or carried on in
n constituencies Spirits to be con
demned as Il peculiarly atrOciOus crime
against all humanity. We can. how
ever, do nothing of permanent value
for peace unless we keep ever clearly
in mind the ethical element which lies
at the root of the problem. Our aim is
,irrI j. Inn.
handmaiden of righteousness. but when
peace and righteousness conflict then
Il great and upright people can never
for n moment hesitate To follow the
path which leads toward righteousness.
even though that path also leads to
war. There are persons who advocate
peace at any price: there are others
who. following a false analogy, think
that because il is no longer necessary
| in civilized countries for individuals 10
protect their rights with strong
hand. it is therefore unnecessary for
nations TO be ready to defend their
rights. These persons would do irrep-
arabic harm to any nation that
adopted their principles. and even as 1t
is they seriously hamper the cause
which they advocate by tending to rem
der ii absurd in the eyes of sensible
and patriotic men. There can be no
worse foe of mankind in general, and
of his own country in particular, than
the dema gogue of war. the man who i'll
| mere folly or to serve his own selfish
ends continually rails at and abuses
other nations. who seeks to excite his
countrymen against foreigners on in
re nd in
flames Il perverse and aggressive ma
tional vanity and who may ON ocea-
sions wantonly bring on conflict be-
tween his nation and some other ma
ton. But there are demagogues of
peace just as there are demagogues of
war, and in any such movement as
this for The Hague conference it is
essential not TO be misled by one set
of extremists any more than by the
other.
War and Peace.
Whenever it is possible for a nation
or an individual to work for real peace,
assuredly 1t is failure OF duty not so to
strive; but if war is necessary and
righteous then either the man or the
nation shrinking from ii forfeits all
title 10 self respect. We have Scant
sympathy with the sentimentaliSt who
breads oppression less than physical
suffering, who would prefer a shame
full peace to the pain and toll some
times lamentably necessary in order to
secure righteous peace. AS yet there
is only partial and imperfect analogy
between international law and internal
OF municipal law, because there is no
sanction of force for executing the for
mer while there is in the case of the
latter. The private citizen is protected
i'll his rights by the law because the
law rests in the last resort upon force
exercised through the forms of law.
man does not have to defend his |
rights with his own hand, because he |
can call upon the police, upon the sher- !
ifs posse. upon the militia or In GER
tain extreme cases upon the army, to !
defend him. But there Is no such sane |
ton Of force for international law. At
present there could be no greater ca !
lamity than for the free peoples, the en- /
lightened. independent and peace low |
ing peoples, to disarm while yet leaving |
it open to any barbarism or despotism |
10 remain armed. So long as the world |
Is as unorganized as now. the armies |
and navies of those peoples who on the |
whole stand for justice offer not only |
the best, but the only possible, security |
for a just peace. For instance, if the |
United States alone, or in company |
only with the other nations that on the
whole tend to act justly, disarmed, we
might sometimes avoid blOodshed, but
we would cease to be OF weight in Sc
curing the peace Of justice-the real
peace for which the most law abiding
and high minded men must at times be
willing to fight. AS the world Is now,
only that nation is equipped for peace
that knows how to fight and that will
not shrink from fighting If ever the
conditions become such that war is de-
manded in the name of the highest