The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-05

ton. But there are demagoRues Of
peace Just as there are demagosues Of
war. and in any such movement as this
Aor me Hague conference it is essen
tai not to be misied by one set of ex-
SIsInlsts any more than by the other.
~ whenever it is possible for a nation
or an individual to work for real peace,
assuredly it is failure of duty not so
20 strive; but If war is necessary and
righteous then either the man or the
natlon shrinking from it forfeits all til
lie 70 self-respect. We have scant
sympathy with thes sentimentalist who
dreads oppression less than physical
sumertng, who would prefer a shame
tut peace TO the pain and toll some
times lamentably necessary in order to
secure a righteous peace. As yet there
IS only partial and imperfect anal
ogy between the international law and
internal or municipal law, because
there is no sanction of force for exc
cutting the former while there is in
the case of the latter
The private citizen is protected in
his rights by the law, because the law
rests in the last resort upon force eX-
ercised through the forms of law. A
man does not have to defend his rights
with his own hand, because he can
call upon the police, upon the sheriff's
posse, upon the militia, or in certain
extreme cases upon the army, to de-
fend him. But there is no such sane
ton of force for international law At
present there could be no greater ca
{
enlightened, independent and peace
loving peoples, to disarm while vet leav-
ing it open to any barbarism or des-
potiSm to remain armed. So long as
the world is as unorganized as now,
the armies and navies Of those peo-
pies who on the whole stand for JUS
tice, offer not only the best but tho
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 some
times avoid bloodshed, but we would
cease to be of weight in securing 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 condi-
tons become such that war is demand
/ ed in the name of the highest moral
ity.
| The Practical Thing.
So much it is emphatically neces-
sary to say in order both that the posi-
/ ton of the United States may not be
misunderstood, and that a genuine eff
fort to bring nearer the day of the
/ peace of justice among the nations may
not be hampered by a folly which, in
striving to achieve the impossible,
would render it hopeless to attempt
/ the achievement of the practical. But
!
! above set forth, 1t remains our clear
| duty to strive in every practicable way
to bring nearer the time when the
/ sword shall not be the a,rbiter among
nations. At present the practical
thing to do is to try to minimize the
number of cases in which it must be
/ the arbiter. and to offer, at least to all
/ civilized powers some substitute for
war which will be available in at least
/ a considerable number of instances.
/ Very much can be done through an
! other Hague conference in this direc-
4 ton, and / most earnestly urge that
/ this nation do all in its power to try to
/ further the movement and to make
/ the result of the decisions of The
/ Hague conference effective. 1 earn
/ eStly hope that the conference may be
able to devise some way to make arbi-
/ tration between nations the customary
! way of settling international disputes
| in all save a few classes of cases which
should themselves be as sharply de-
fined and rigidly limited as the pres
ent governmental and social develop
4 ment of the world viii permit If pos
/ sible, there should be a general arbi-
! trauOn treaty negotiated among all the
nations represented at the conference.
| Neutral rights and property should be
/ protected at sea as they are protected
on land. There should be an interna-
! tional agreement to this purpose and
band of war.
During the last century there has
/ been a distinct diminution in the num-
/ Der of wars between the most civ
ilized nations. International relations
4 have become closer, and the develop
4 ment of The Hague tribunal is not only
a symptom of this growing closeness
of relationship, but Is q means by
which the growth can be furthered.
Our aim should be from time TO time
to take such steps as may be posi-
Bile toward creating something like an
| organization of the civilized nations,
/ highly organized the need for navies
i and armies will diminish. It is not
] possible to secure anything like an I'M
mediate disarmament, because it would
! first be necessary to settle what peo-
pies are on the whole a menace to the
rest of mankind, and to provide
i against the disarmament of the rest
/ being turned into q movement which
i would really chiefly benefit these OBJ
! noxious peoples; but it may be posi-
/ Bile to exercise some check upon the
/ tendency to swell Indefinitely the
/ budgets for military expenditure. OF
/ course such an effort could succeed
/ only if it did not attempt to do too
much; and if it were undertaken in a
spirit of sanity as far removed as pos
sible from merely hysteEicaI pseudo
! pbilanthrODy It is worth while
pointing out that since the end of the
insurrection in the Philippines this ma
! ton has shown its practical faith in
the policy of disarmament by reducing
| its little army one-third. But disarm-
ament can never be of prime import
ance; there Is more need to get rid OF
the causes of war than Of the nipple
ments of war.
/ I have dwelt much on the dangers
/ to be avoided by steering clear OF any
mere foolish sentimentality because
my wish for peace is SO genuine and
| earnest; because I have 8 real and
/ great desire that this second Hague
/ conference may mark a long stride
/ forward in the direction of securing
/ the peace of justice throughout the
world. No object is better worthy the
attention of enlightened statesman
/ shin than the establishment OF a surer
method than now exists of securing
/ Justice as between nations, both for
! the protection Of the little nations and