The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-21
ROGERS WANTS A
 SMALLER NAVY
 ~uHs-@ss~-arsH-s Head of Yale Law School Tells Methodists Great Appropria tions for Ships Should
 Not Be Granted.
PEACE PROGRESS IMPEDED
Had Ministers TaWn an Ant-War Stand, Contest With Spain Would Probably Never Have
 Been Fought.

The hrgt peace day" was celebrated yesterday in many churches Of the country, as tho result of the recent conference of the different denomina- tlons of churches held in Philadelphia Dean Henry Wade Rogers of the Yale Law school who was one of tho dee- gates to that convention spoke in the First Methodist church pulpit yester- day morning and delivered the address he made at Philadelphia on "Interna- tional Peace"
 In the course of his address h~ at tackled the increasing Of armaments hy the different nations and especially hy the United States, and of tho need of compulsory arbitration of the differ enres between nations, as the courts decide for individuals when they dis agree Nations, he said, should be con sidered as individuals and there should be an international court
 He spoke of The Hague conference and of the progress made at them for universal peace In the last one, he said, Germany and Austria were tine only nations which opposed compulsory arbitration in certain matters, and on account of thls opposition no action l could be taken
 But while this progress toward peace has been made, he said, tho different nations are nevertheless constantly in. creasng their armaments at Great l cost so that they will be ready for war should it break out There ia no need for this and it retards the progrC ss toward peace
 The United States Is especially with out reason to increase the size of the navy. both from the cost of the ehips and the the armament of the ships and for the fact that no nation vii dare attack us No nation has ever declared war on the United States, and since inc period preceding the war ot 1872 no nation has presumed tc trouble US
 Tho church In Europe has always found excuse for war and sometimes has defended it The church in the United states has acquiosard ln war Instead the church in this country should have worked for peace Public sentiment rules tho country and tho members of tho natlonal legislature arc always swarod by public opinion From the pupits the preachers of the com try should have taught the doctrine ot peace and tho settlement of Intcrna- tional differences hy arbitration
 There was no need for tho Spanish war Had the preachers exerted theI Influence for peace tho matter could have been otherwise settled Spain was ready to arhitratc all tho matters lr question and the difficulties could have been settled without bloodshed But the preachers did not bestir themselves and tho useless war followed.
 To ahoN what power the preachers have let me cite an Instance one hun dred ministers in New York city Of va. rIous denominations. and similar number in Boston sent petitions 10 tho congressional committee agkins thai the great appropriation for IncreasIna the armament be not granted, and the appropriations asked for were moi grantcd,as those who favored hem wished
 The doctrine of universal pence should be preached from the pulpjtS throughout the land, the great navie, given un, and the other nations would then have an example that believc they would follow.