The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1906-12-07

conference held at Geneva last summer,
and the subjects which naturally would
| come before The Hague conference. made
| It apparent that 1t was desirable to have
| the work of the Red Cross conference
completed and considered by the different
| powers before the meeting at The Hague.
| The Red Cross conference ended its la
bors on the 9Th day OF July, and the re-
4 signed by the American delegates, will
be promptly laid before the senate.
BY the special and highly appreciated
| courtesy OF the governments Of Russia
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 suggested. A
| tentative program for the conference has
| been proposed by the government Of
Russia, and the subjects which 1t enumer-
ates are undergoing careful examination
conference.
1t must ever be kept in mind that war
| Is not merely justifiable, but imperative,
upon honorable men, upon am honorable
nation, where peace can only be OBJ
tanned by the sacrifice of conscientious
conviction or of national welfare. Peace
Is normally a great good, and normally
y comedies with Righteousness; but, It Is
righteousness and not peace which should
bind the conscience of nation as it
should bind the conscience of an individ-
ual; and neither nation nor an indvid-
nal can surrender conscience to another,s
keeping. Neither can nation, which Is
an entity and which does not die as in
dividuals die, refrain from taking thought
for the interest of the generations that
are to come, no less than for the interest
men have right, whether from short
sightedness, from selfish Indifference, or
from sentimentality, to sacrifice national
interests which are vital in character.
inst is in the lOpp hattpr for
a nations soul than the most prosperous
peace obtained by acquiescence in wrong
or injustice. Moreover, tho 1t Is criminal
for nation not to prepare for war, so
quences of being defeated in war, yet it
must always be remembered that even to
be defeated in war may be far better
than not to have fought at all. AS has
been well and finely said, a beaten nation
is not necessarily disgraced nation; but
the nation or man Is disgraced If the obli-
cation to defend right is shirked
We should as nation do everything In
our power for the cause of honorable
peace. 1t Is morally as indefensible for
nation to commit wrong upon another
nation, strong or weak, as for an individ-
ual thus to wrong his fellows. We should
do all in our power to hasten the day
when there shall be peace among the ma
tions-a peace based upon justice and not
upon cowardly submission to wrong. We
can accomplish good deal in this direc-
thing, and the penalty of attempting to
do too much would almost inevitably be
to do worse than nothing; for it must be
remembered that fantastic extremists are
not in reality leaders of the causes which
they espouse, but are ordinarily those
who do most to hamper the real leaders
of the cause and to damage the cause it.
self. As yet there is no likelihood of
establishing any kind of international
power, of whatever sort, which can effec-
lively check wrongdong, and In these cir
cumstances it would be both foolish and
an evil thing for great and free nation
to deprive itself of the power to protect
its own rights and even in exceptional
cases to stand up for the rights of others.
Nothing would more promote iniquity,
nothing would further defer the reign
upon earth of peace and righteousness,
than for the free and enlightened peoples
which, tho with much stumbling and
many shortcomings, nevertheless strive
toward justice deliberately to render
themselves powerless while leaving every
despotism and barbarism armed and able
to work their wicked will The chance
for the settlement of disputes peacefully,
by arbitration, now depends mainly upon
the possession by the nations that mean
to do right of sufficient armed strength
to make their purpose effective,