The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-12-07

In my last message I advised you
that the emperor Of Russia had taken
tie initiative in bringing about a
second peace conference at The Hague
Under the guidance OF Russia the ar
arrangement OF the p~reliminaries for
such a conference has been progressing
during the past ear Progress mas
necessarily been slow. owing to the
great number of countries 10 be con-
suited upon every question that has
arisen. It is a matter Of satisfaction
that all of theAmericaE republics have
now. for the first time. been invited to
join in the proposed conference
The close connection between tn"
subjects TO be taken up 10y the Red
Cross conference held At Geneva last
and the subjects which. ma
turalIy would come before The Hague
conference, made il apparent that II
was desirable 10 have the work OF
the Red Gross conference completed
and considered by the different pow
ers before the meeting at The Hague.
The Red Cross conference ended its
labors on the 9th day o. July. and the
revised and amended convention,
which was signed by the American
delegates. will be promptly Laid before
the senate.
BY the special and highly appreciat-
ed courtesy Of the government of Rus
STA and the Netherlands, a proposal to
call The Hague conference together at
a time which would conflict with the
conference of the American republics
at Rio de Janeiro in August was laid
aside. No other date has yet been sug-
| gested. A tentative program for the
conference has been proposed by the
government of Russia, n the sub
jects which it enumerates are ulder-
going careful examination and 3on-
sideration in preparation for the con
ference
PEACE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS.
It must be kept in mind that war is
| not merely iustiiable, but imperative,
upon honorable men, upon an honor
BILE nation, where peace can only be
| obtained BY the sacrifice OF conScienti-
Gus conviction or of national welfare.
Ueace is normally a great good. and
normally it comedies with righteous
ness: but it IS righteousness enc
| not peace which should bind the
| conscience of a nation as il should bind
the conscience of an individual and
| neither Il nation nor an lnulVldUat IAN
surrender conscience to anOther's keep
| ing. Neither can q nation, which Is
| an entity, and which does not die as
individuals die, refrain from taking
| thought for the interest of h genera
| lions that are to come, no less than TOR
/ h generations of today; and no pub
! lie men have a right, whether from
| shortsightedneSS, from selfish inGiffer-
| ence, or from Sfntin1entality, to Sacrl-
flee national interests which are vital
| in character. A just war is in he long
run far better for a nations soul thar
| the most prosperous peace obtained by
! acQuicScence in wrong or injustice
| Moreover. tho it is criminal for a ma
ton not TO prepare for war, so that
it may escape the dreadful cOnse-
cuence of being defeated in war, yet
it must always be remembered that
even to be defeated in war ma be far
better than not to have fought at all
AS has been we'll and finely said, d
beaten nation is not necessarily Il dis
eraced nation: but the nation or man
is disgraced if the obligation to de-
: fend right is shirked.
We should as a nation do everything
! in our power for the cause of honor
able peace. 1t is morally as indefen'
sible for a nation to commit a Wron@
upon another nation, Srrong or Weai
as for an individual thus to wrong /
fellows. We should do all in our po'
or to hasten the day when there shat
be peace among the peac'
based upon justice and not upon COW
ardly submission to wrong. We ca1
accomplish a good deal in this dilec
ton, but we can not accomplish every
thing, and the penalty of attemptin;
to do too much would almost ineVlta
bly, be to do worse than nothing; 20
it must be remembered that fantasti
extremists are not in reality leade
of the causes which they espouse. blu
are ordinarily those who do most I
camper the real leaders Of the caus
and to damage the cause itself. a
yet there is no likelihood Of estab
fishing any kind of International row
er. OF whatever sort, which can effec
't"oly check wrongdoing, and in thes
circumstances it would be both a foo
ish and an evil thing for a great an
free nation to deprive itself of III
, power to protect its w rights an
yer in exceptional cases to stand u
for the rights of others. Nothin
would more promote iniquity, nothin
the defer the reign upo
j., earth of peace and righteousness, tina
for the free and enlightened people
which, tho with much stumbling an
: many shortcomings. nevertheless striN
2 toward justice, deliberately to rendf
: themselves powerless while leavin
$ every despotism and barbarism arme
and able to work their wicked vii
. The chance for" the settlement OF dl'
l ! nutes peacefully, by arbitration, no
depends mainly upon the possession
the nations that mean 10 40 figTL
sufficient armed strength to make the
4 purpose effective.
THE NAVY AND ARMY.
The United States navy is the sure
y of peace which this count
-, possesses. 1t is earnestly to be Wlsi
- that we would profit by the teachin'
| Of history in this matter. a stror
and wise people will study its oH
e failures no less than its triumphs, 7.
e there is wisdom to be learned from Il
study of both, of the mistake as W
as Of the success. For this purpo
nothing could be instructi'
than a rational study of the war
&c 1912, as it is told. for instance.
IS Captain Mahan. There was only o.
way in which that war could ha
IL been avoided. II during the precedll
twelve years a. navy relatively
n strong As that which this country nc
r has had been built up, and an arr
u provided relatively as good as tn
q which the country now has. the
le never would have been the slightt