The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1909-05-20
Declares Nicholas Murray
Butler at the Lake Mo-
honk Conference.
ACTIONS OF GERMANY
And England Are Not Pro-
noting the Idea Of
World Peace. !,

LAKE MoHoNK, N. Y, May 19.--.
The Lake Mohonk Conference on In
ternatlonal Arbitration opened today:
Nicholas Murray Butler, President OF
Columbia University, and President OF
the American Branch of the Associh-
ton for International Cancellation.
presided. In his opening address
President Butler referred to the prog
.ess toward universal peace made BY,
the Second Hague Conference, but
dep'ored Swhat he described as pres
ent-day emotional insanity which
resulted in war talk. The speaker
cited the attitude of England towards
Germany as an Instance OF unwar-
ranted Jealousy and declared that no
ADEQUATE ground for British suspicious
toward Germany had been given by:
any responsible person. He con-
tinued:
The intensive application OF the
discoveries of theoreticali science to in
dustrial processes has made Germany,
in a sense. the worlds chief teacher In
Its great International school OF indus-
try and commerce. With this over
sea trade expansion has gone the
building of German navy 1t appears
to be the building of this navy which
has SO aroused the passions of the
English people. For the moment wc
are not treated to the wsll-worn par
adox that the larger a natIon's navy
the less likely It is to be used In COM
bat and the more certain is the peace
Of the world. The old Adam asserts
himself long enough to complain, In
this case AZ Least that.if a navy IL
hnlidinE in Germany ii must be IN.
tended for offensive use; and against
whom could the Germans possibly In
tend to use navy except, against
England? Their neighbors, the
French and the Russians, they could
readily. and with les srisk, overrun
with their great army. The United
States is too far away to enter int
the problem as factor of ny real
Importance. Therefore. the infer
ence is drawn that the navy must be
Intended for an attack upon England.
pr is worth while noting that, ON this
theory, the German avy now build
Ing appears to be the first OF modern
navies intended for military uses. 1t
alone of all the worlds nayies. how.
ever costly. is not a messenger OF
peace
Why Susnect f,crn,n,o
One must needs ask, then. what
reason Is TO be found in the nature Of
the German people. in the deciara-
tons Of their responsible rulers. or In
the political relations between Ger
many and any other nation, for tho
belief that the German navy alone,
among all modern navies, is building
for warlike purpose? Those of US
who feel that the business of navy
building is being greatly overdone,
and that 1t cannot for moment be
reconciied with sound public policy,
or with the increasingly insistent de-
mand for social improvements and, re-
forms. may well wish that the Ger
man naval program were much more
restricted than 1t is. But, waving that
point for the moment, what ground
is there for the suspicion which is
SO widespread in England against
Germany, and for the imputation to
Germany of evil intentions toward
England? Speaking for myself, and
making full use of such opportuni.
ties for accurate information as Il
have enjoyed, say. with the utmost
emphasis and with entire sincerity
that I do not believe there is any
ground whatever for those suspicious
OF for those imputations.s
But. says the objector, England II
an island nation. Unless she COM
mands the sea absolutely her ma
tional existence Is IN danger; any
strong navy in unfriendly hands
threatens her safety. That formula
has been repeated so often that all
most everybody believes 1t. There was
time when II was probably and
within limits true. Ii is. nos-lonEer
true, and has not been true >or Some
time past. In the first place. ma
tlonal existence no longer depends
upon military and naval force. Italy
is safe; SO are Holland and Portugal,
Mexico and Canada. Then: the posi-
Utilities of aerial navigation alone, with
the resulting power of destroying a
population huddled beneath mon
ster travelling through the air and
willing to risk It's own existence ana
the lives OF Its occupants for the cp-
49,