The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-04
David Starr Jordan Makes a Notable Address Upon
 Wars Effects
BURDEN OF ARMIES IS
 BANKRUPTING NATIONS
Robert Treat Payne Makes Statement That World Is Fearing War Be- cause Many Nations Are
 Ready To Fight.

Chicago, May 3-"Ja der krieg yer schlignt immer die besten''-Even the war devours the best"
 These words written by the German z poet Schiller a century ago formed the theme at the opening of the second na- tional peace congress here today by Da- vid Starr Jordan, president of the Be- land-Stanford Jr university.
 'It is through selection that all race progress comes," said Dr. Jordan. "The war means always the reversal of se- lection"
 .',rhe survival of the Attest in the strug- gle for existence is the primal moving cause of race progress and of race changes. In the red stress of human his tory this natural process of selection is sometimes reversed. A reversal of se- lection Is the beginning of degradation; it is degradation itself.
 ''The only way in which any race, as whole, has been through its preserva- tion of it's best and the loss of it's worst examples. The condition which favors this Is democracy, equality before the law, the conditions which eqIalizes op- portunity and give each man the right to stand or fall on the powers God has given him.
 "Tne only race degeneration ever known is that produced by those forces which destroy the best, leaving for the fath- CTS of the future those who could not be used in the business of war, or in that of colonization.
 rs.Ihe effects of emigration run parallel with the effects of war, but with this enormous difference the strong men who emigrate are not lost to the world. The loss of one region is the gain of an other. But the losses in war can yield no corresponding gain.
 Decadent Nation.
 "The warlike nation of today is the decadent nation of tomorrow. It has ever been so and in the nature of things it must be ever.
 Our republic shall endure so long as the human harvest is good, so long as the movement of history, the progress of peace and industry leaves for the future not the worst but the best of each generation. The republic of Rome lasted so long as there were Romans; the re- public of America will last so long as US people, III Dl0OQ ana Ill SplrlI, TeIndln what we have learned to call Amer icans."
 Joseph B. Burtt of Chicago, speaking at the evening session, declared that in the great growth of fraternal organfza- tons in the United States the peace movement has its greatest present fac- tor.
 Perhaps MT. Burtt said, the great est guarantee against another oivil war In this country lies in the fact that over one- third of our men belong to fraternal orders and are taught to regard their fellow-men as brothers. The members of nearly all these orders have never charged each other with bayonets, nor killed each other with bullets"
 Prof. Paul s. Reinsch of the University of Wisconsin, one of the speakers at the evening session, declared that the uni versal cooperation which is necessary for universal peace is an ideal for the future.
 Two sessions of the congress were held, afternoon and evening, but the evening session was itself held in two parts, one at Orchestra hall presided over by Rev. Emil G. Hirsch of Chicago, and the other in the Fine Arts building, Miss Jane Adams the Chicago settlement worker being in the chair Among the other ad- dresses of the evening was a talk oh Racial Progress Toward Universal Peace" by H. T. Healing of Nashville
 A letter was received from Secretary of War J. M Dickinson, who is presi- dent of the peace congress, stating that he would be unable to attend the present congress. He sent speech, however, which will be read for him.
 Payne's Address.
 Some power which the world will heed must take the initiative in proposing peace to the world,'' said Robert Treat Payne of Boston, in his opening address Continuing, he said:
 We meet here in Chicago in hopes that Chicago will move the United States to take this initiative, for which the whole world waits.
 Action of this character has in it a little noble audacity. When the world was weary of bloody fight between Japan and Russia, at least America made bold to intervene, remember how cordially the world approved and how this interven- ton was sustained till at last it tri- umphed and peace triumphed over war President Roosevelt felt the sympathy of the whole civilized world rally be- hind him.
 Even so for a long time the world condemned the mad policy of war Rare outbreaks of actual war occur, yet all people are coming to condemn the folly of perpetually increasing preparation.
 .'rhe cost of this annual burden Is bankrupting the nations.
 ..The wealth of the world refuses any longer to be wasted.
 s'The second Hague conference, with it's glorious union of all the A nations on earth could not quite agree on the details of the supreme court of nations. drafted by Hon. James Brown Scott, to whom was entrusted that great task by our American deputation, under the lead of our own Joseph H. Choate. But this world scheme cannot long be delayed
 .'The next step should be to have America speak up and ask the concur renee of the world.
 Taft's Letter.
 The following is the text of letter