The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-05
CHICAGO CONFERENCE
PASSES INTO HISTORY

pain people are asleep, and have
not spoken.
The plain people read the news
papers. They have plenty of oppor-
tunities to know what the positive
damages are which our own present
naval excesses are doing to other
peoples. They know what impuse
they have given to similar furore in
South America and in Australia; they
know that they have furnished ar
guments i'm the French Senate for
the increase of the French navy:
they know what bitter disappoint-
ment and setback they have given
to the brave champions of interna-
tional reason and justice IN every
European nation, working at such
terrible odds against the appalling
and increasing burdens there. Mr..
Birrell, the British ministry spoke of
all that Is enlightened in Europe
when he exclaimed concerning the
''words of DOOM as he called them.
in the section of Mr.. Tafs inaug-
upral relating TO this subject: "They
have shattered some of the best
hopes of humanity. It is a miser-
able pity, It is miserable pity,
that these hopes should be shattered
and that we now have 20 deal with
the United States as a fully euuipped
military and naval nation !" He
migth have added that the most
pitiful fact of all Is the fact that. in
| tho urpgont ypar Tho Ir,i.ol c4.t-.
hitherto boasting that It but fol-
lowed the lead of England and Ger
many in building Dreadnoughts and
| that its anxiety was to limit the size
OF battleships, now takes the lead
IN building larger ships than any
now existing, thus forcing up the
standard for all nations.
say the plain people rehd fhe
newspapers They therefore know
that any responsibility or plausibilty
t1a teyer attached to the silly CON
tention that the way to promote
peace is to prepare for war has
been elfe tually disposed of bv the
present situation between England
and Germany, In their mad race in
building rival batleships. So far
from each new Dreadnought proving
an added bond Of security and peace.
according to the theory, each one
ON either side proves n new menace.
a new source Of suspicion, enmity
and danger. So it is everywhere and
always. Nations are like men. The
unarmed gentleman is safe; the cow
boy with his pockets full of pistols
IS always in danger. The present
question is, how soon will the ma
tions act like gentlemen, in mutual
trust and so be safe?
The plain people read the news
papers; and so they have read fire.
quently that it is a great thing 10
nave big navies to send about the
world, because they elicit tumultuous
expressions of friendship and affec-
tion from all sorts of people. in Rio
Janieiro and Toxic and elsewhere
and so add to the fraternity as we'll
as the gayety of nations. Well. they
nave not forgotten that one simple
american statesman, named Elihu
Root. elected vastly more impressive
expressions of friendship in every
south American capital, and accom-
plished things of a vastly more con-
servative character, than all the six
teen noisy battleships that by and
by followed him. And they wonder
why, since Japan by her overwhelm-
ing demonstration so unanswerinply
proved her friendship, It was or is
so necessary as the jingoes prate
TO display great squadrons to keen
her well scared into good behavior
lt was not batteships that Toxic was
welcoming so unanimously the other
DAY ;it was Americans. Had It been
a single ship, without a single gun.
bearing the duly accredited American
emissary of good will, named Elihu
Root or named Jacob Dickinson. A.
would have been just the same. In
deed It would have been much better.
ana u suggest TO the gentlemen of
the Chicago Association of Com
merce and other chambers of COM
mence that, like all policies of the
gentlemen as over against the pol-
eies of the cowboy in national af-
lairs which We are here considering.
IL would have been vastly cheaper.
i