The Washington herald., 1907-04-16
CARNEGIE COMBATS
ROOSEVELT'S IDEA
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE.

It was in part SIS follows;
MY Dear Mr.. Carnegie: I much regret /
my inability 10 be present with you. Mr |
Root win speak to you at length. and no |
man in the country IS better ftted than
he TO address you on the subject you
have so much at heart
In this letter of mine 1 can do little
more than wish you and your association
Godspeed In your efforts. My sympathy
with the purposes you have at heart Is
both strong and real. and by right Of 1t
shall make to you some suggestions as
to the practical method for accomplish
ing tho ends we all of US have in view.
Disarmament Would Do Harm.
Anything in the nature Of general dis
armament would do harm and not good
II It left the civilized and peace-leving
peoples. those with the highest standards
OF municipal and international obligation
and duty, unable TO check the other peO-
pies who have no such standards and
who acknowledge no such obligations.
Finally, it behoOves all Of us 20 re-
member that there are few more mis-
chievous things than the custom Of ut
terlng or applauding sentiments which
represent mere oratory. An impassioned
Grafton about peace which includes an
impassioned demand for something which
the man who makes the demand either
knows or ought 70 know cannot be done,
represents not gain, but loss. for the
cause Of peace.
These warnings that I have uttered
do not mean that / believe we can do
nothing to advance the cause Of interna-
tional peace. On the contrary, believe
that we can do much to advance it. pro
vided only We act with sanity, with self
restraint. with power.
''Ihe United States has a right TO
speak on behalf of such a cause.
Respect Rights of Others.
During the opening six years Of this
century We can conscientiously say that
without sacrificing our own rights, we
have yet scrupulously respected the
rights of all other peoples.
In the Philippine Islands we are train
/ ing a people in the difficult art of self
government with more success than those
most acquainted with the facts had dared
20 hope We are doing this in a spirit Of
genuine disinteredness and, 1 may add,
in a spirit wholly untainted by that silly
senumentaiity.
In Panama We are performing what
/ is to he the greatest engineering feat of
[ the age. In the islands of the Caribbean
we have interfered, but not as cOnquerors,
| but solely to avert the need OF conquest
| The United states army is 1T this mo-
ment in Cuba, not as an act Of war. but
/ to restore Cuba 20 the position OF
I self-g0rerning republic With Santo Do
mingO we have just negotiated treaty
/ especially designed to prevent the need
OF any interference, either by us or by
any foreign nation. with the internal
affairs Of the island.
Averted One War.
sdr. Roots trip through South America
marked the knitting together In the
bonds OF self-respecting friendship Of
all the republics Of this continent BY
/ the Joint good wishes Of Mexico and
ourselves We averted one war in Central
/ America, and did what We could 10 avert
another. although We failed. A difficulty
which we had with our friendly neigh0or
10 the north of US, we solved by the
! agreement Of a joint commission. We
try to avoid meddling In affairs that are
not our concern, and vet TO have our
views heard where they viii avail on
behalf Of fair dealing and against cruelty
and oppression.
| i'Our representative viii go to the sec
/ ond peace conference at The Hague IN
structed TO help in every practicable way
to bring some step nearer completion
the great work which the first conference
began. II is not possible that the con-
/ ference should go more than a certain
! distance. yet I believe that it can make
real progress on the road toward inter
national Justice. peace, and fair dealings
One of the questions, although not TO my
/ mind one of the most important which
viii he brought before the conference.
viii be that OF the limitation Of arma-
mcnts.
The most practicable step in diminish
ing the burden of expense caused by the
increasing size of naval ornaments
would 1 believe, be an agreement linz
ting the size of all ships hereafter to be
buiIt; but hitherto il has not proved pos
sibIa TO get other nations to agree with
US on this point"
Secretary Root introduced.
In introducing Secretary Root Mr.. Car
Inegie said:
..You all know a President must have a
lright-hand, but some secretaries are more
than a right hand. They do some Of the
thinking for the President. This man is
lone Of that kind Of secretaries
Mr.. Root read his speech. slowly and
with clear enunciatiOn. lie was fire.
ouentlv interrupted with applause, and at
the close of his address the building
echoed with hand-clapping for some sec
onds Mr.. Root said in part;
/. ,.Your invitation to take part in the
opening of this Peace Congress has come
10 me as an occasion TO declare the alli-
ance and sympathy of the American gov
ernment with that other power-the sen-
timent Of humanity IN all lands,
and most strongly in our generation. with
out fleets or armies or titles OF dig
nitlos or compulsion of force, Is leading
mankind continually to nobler life. The
American people are practical material,
strenuous in business, eager for wealth,
energetic in production, and venturous in
commerce. insistent upon their rights,
proud of their country, jealous of its
power and its prestige; but there IS a
strain of idealism In the American nature
which saves our nation from the gross
ness of sOrdid materialism and makes It
responsive to every appeal in behalf OF
liberty and Righteousness. OF peace with
Justice, and Of human brotherhood the
world over.
NO American government could truly
represent its people if It did not sympa-
/ thize heartily with the purposes which
! this congress meets to promote, and the
American government Of to-day does SYM
pathize heartily with those purposes. IN
behalf Of the government I give you the
kindly and apprecative greeting of the
De0pie OF the United States and welcome
you as spiritual kindred of those Ameri-
/ cans of great heart and clear intelligence
who in times past. striving for ordered
liberty and the peace of justice IN this