The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-10-09
WI ON WAR.


Mr. WI Ting Fang, the Chinese diplomatist,
and accredited representative of the Flowery King
dom to the United States is reported to have given
utterance to this sentiment: "If you and l should
fight why, there is law to punish So, too,
should there be law Furnishing nations who Will
fight with each other"
Mr.. WI may have borrowed the sentiment; it is
DID, it probably old eighteen hundred years ago
when Iactus said something about it being fear
that kept the peace That it should be uttered by
the willy Oriental statesman, however, shows plain
ly that there is common ground upon which the
nations might come to agreement on the subject
of armed conflict. The Hague tribunal stands for
that sentiment but it is having mighty hard time
to impress the wisdom of the sentiment upon the
belligerenty inclined nations of earth 1t was Adj
mral Bob Evans who said that as long as the United
States had anything which other nations coveted
that long it would be necessary to maintain our
army and our navy at their present or greater
strength
Between the two sentiments there does not
seem to be common ground. Even The Hague
tribunal recognizes the utter futlity of attempting
to force peace down the throats of the nations
especially those which are equipped for war law.
worldwide in its application and recognized by the
civilized nations, which would lay punishment
against nations that fight would be,very difficult of
enforcement, unless indeed the patrolling of the
seas and the maintenance of the peace of the world
were taken up by those nations equipped for such
work. the expenses of which international patrol
to be betrayed by tax levied against all nations
Villages maintain their marshas cities their police
departments, counties their sheriff's forces states
their national guard, and nations their armies and
navles No one will question the necessity of MAIN
tanning these peacecompeng forces as long as the
world refuses to live in brotherly love- But there
does not appear any reason why several of the ma
lions of the world could take on themselves the
patrolng of the seas, the maintenance of peace be-
tween nations and guarantee an entirely disinter-
ested pSicng of the world
Carrying concealed weapons is so universally |
to be contrary to law that we believe
# there were definite prohibition by statute the
courts would maintain the principle is from the
common law Extend this principle to the nations
ma the nation with a battleship would be con-
iemned as Is the armed individual. Two armed men
n combat are likely to do great deal of damage.
either to themselves or to some innocent bystanders
0lsarm them, and the combat is not likely to prove
e1ous to either combatant. In either case. the
trong arm OF the law usually appears and by the
uthorlty represented in the police officer btob com
atants are taken to jail In the same way. if ma
ions were disarmed and an international navy were
it wouldn't cost so much to maintain
he peace and fussy little fellows would cease be-
ng nuisance to themselves and to the world.
Mr. WI Ting Fang may have listened to the
uave palaverings of other Oriental nations and
atched with zest the martial preparations before
e gave utterance to his sentiment However that
lay be- it is evident the distinguished diplomatst
oesn't think any more of a nation that breaches
eace and makes preparation for war than he docs
an individual who talks peace and carries ro-
Diver or a.pair of brass 'knucks around with hin,
] the time.
1t is very likely there never was war fought
herein the punishment inflicted and the loss enc
1ned by the belligerents were not far in. excess
the estimates of the cost submitted For in
ance the loss of a single life in battle is loss 70
ose LETT at home for which the glories of sucb
ath can never compensate. We trust Mr.. W., NOV, t
e some punitive law enacted which will com,al
tlons to disarm and keep the peace.