Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1907-06-05

| majority. I venture here to cite sn in
stance close at home. We recall the tenn
porary appropriately Of our distinguished
| fellow townsman. Senator Hale, because
he dared to deprecate the war with Spain
and the conquest OF unwilling peoples in
distant islands. To-day his wisdom and
patriotism are acknowledged. his courage
1 is admired, and no senator has more
influence in the councils of the nation.
1t is not futile to preach the doctrine of
| peace and disarmament. Public opinion
the world over Is drifting to it, despite the
resistance of the military spirit, despite
| temporary reactions. Wars are becoming
shorter and less frequent; the periods Of
peace longer and more stable. France and
England, once in slmost continual war,
have been at continuous peace for nearly
hundred years. Britain and America,
though rivals in many respects and with
many irritating questions of boundary,
| fishery and maritime rights, have avoided
war with each other fully as long. War
between them is now almost unthinkable.
I Arbitration between nations is coming
more and more into use. Even questions
/ of boundary, once thought to be too vital
to oe entrusted to arbitrators, have been
/ repeatedly determined in that peaceful
mode. The Dogger Banks incident is an
I illustration Of the great advance in self
control. When the Russian fleet opened
fire on peaceful British fishermen, sinking
their boats and killing their men, Britain
1 did not refuse arbitration and rush into
war, as we did less than ten years ago
under no greater provocation, but con-
scented to arbitration and was content
with due reparation.
! international law is taking the place OF
! international war. An international tri-
bunal has been set up composed OF the
most distinguished juRists of the civilized
| nations. An international Congress is in
fair way to be established The coming
conference at The Hague. like its predeces-
sor, will become precedent for regular
! conferences in the future. True. these
F, conferences may for time seem to fail toes
! tablish peace and disarmament; true, Ger
many, clad in mail and bristling with bay
onets. has refused even to consider the
suggestion OF mutual disarmament; true
again that many in high places in our own
country are still scouting disarmament
and urging still greater expenditure for
\ war; yet the trend is forward toward uni
versal peace. Peace talk is becoming
more general, and even more popular;
witnt IS the late great peace congress in
New York, and the speeches at the Mo-
honk conference.
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working mems unions are banding to-
gether for peace and disarmament.
They know full we'll that the burdens OF
/ ornaments and sacrifices Of war fall most
heavily on the common people. At home
+ though democracies are naturally militant,
there is an increasing undercurrent OF be-
lief that war is, after all, only survival
OF barbarism. Though slowly, haltingly,
and with frequent steps backward, the
nations, nevertheless, are visibly nearing
the time predicted by the poet, when
"The war drum shall throb no longer and the
battle flags be furled.
In the Parliament Of man, the Federation of
the World"
| do not forget that the spirit OF Mill
/ s&AASA1 40 Aot kAS SAAAy Sshas 20 NV SsNh ~
present the most conspicuous evil fraught
with danger to our we'll being. There are
other and great evils which now excite
more attention. These were 80 fully
stated, SO wildly portrayed, to you in this
hall last Sunday evening, am sure you
see them now in all their hideousness.
do not need to recapitulate them. 1t is
enough 10 say that there are many abuses
I to correct, many evils in the body polite
to ferret out and remove. But to do this,
we must have peace. When the war fever
is upon people, they take no thought of
any civic health or disease. Then is when
the CRATER and corruptionist fatten most.
1t is only with continued peace that we
can arrive at civic health.
| Men Of the Grand Army and fellow
citizens: We owe this duty of preaching
nd ii NET ov,lx, c,~-