New-York tribune., 1910-05-10
DECRY ARMAMENT WASTE |
Peace Congress of New England
Begins Annual Gathering.
TAFT FAVORS ARBITRATION
President, in Letter, Declares
Big Expense Is Working
Toward That End.

1OWdIu 1dt 0u0
Hartford. Conn, May 9.-The annual New
England Arbitration and Peace Congress
was opened this afternoon by Arthur Deer
ing Call. president of the Connecticut Peace
Society. in the Hall of Representatives of
the CapitoJ More thar three hundred dele
gates were present.
Letters from President TAFT, Secretary
Knox. Ambassador Bryce and other men OF
note we're read. expressing sympathy Win
the movement for world peace
During the day addresses were made oy
Dean Henry Wade Rogers Of Yale Law
School president of the congress: Acths
Lieutenant Governor Brooks, secretary
BENJAMIN z. Trueblood of the American
Peace Society and Mayor f. j.. Smith OF
Hartford The letter from President Iait
was as follows:
The White House.
Washington, April q, lSlo-
have YOUR letter of April %, and am
glad to know that the New Engiand i5 AI5
btration and Peace Congress Is 70 uoiu
an important meeting from May 20 L.
have on more than one occasion eh-
pressed myself as being in favor OF Il.el tt
national peace and in favor OF arpht, td' s,'b
TO secure it. and 7 also dwelt on the Suo-
iect in my inaugural address. mat ooes
not mean. however, that / am IN favor vi y.
a country giving up tnat Whlch rf,ls ,sace. TO
wit our army and our navy, because ! Dg g.
Iieye that the expense of armaiilehI 10
ear5estTv hope that your meeting will
be productive of much good In tne P1oIl,U, o,
ton of permanent peace and l "tfn ihis Sgp Stl
every success in your efforts IN 'ii'' oi
fe''i0h WILLIAM Fl. TAFT.
Secretary Knox said regretting MS ma
bilitv to attend the Congress-:
SHOULD a permanent tribunal of arbitra-
ton be organized and be permanently III
session at The Hague, thus avoiding oeleys
incident TO the constitution Of a temporary
tribunal for the trial of each case as "
arises. a great step will be taken Tor the
pesceabIe settlement of international diher-
ences of a judicial nature. The court
should wait for the litigant. not the luseht
for the court
Bryce on King Edward.
IN bis con,municat ton Ambassador Bryce
referred to the death of King Edward VII
saving, in part:
.aThe 1amented death of King Edward
VII has taken away from the sacred cause
of peace and good will among the NATIONS
one of those who was most earnest in pro-
noting it and who had done most for H. he
was always a warm and true friend Of the
United States. and rejoiced in nothing more
than in the growth of cordial friendship
between YOUR country and his own, hoping
and trusting that like sentiments OF fr1end-
shin would in time become general among
.be nations of the world. The countess
exnressions of sorrow at his departure
which have already reached this embassy
from, all parts of the United States snow
how cordially his 1abors in the cause Oh
peace have been appreciated by your peo-
pIe, and such an appreciation mas gone 10
the heart of the English nation, who are
grateful for your sympathy.
Continuing, Mr. Bryce said:
ALLEGATIONS of intended attacks by some
one nation upon another, however reckless
" they are made, however improbable IN
themselves, are constantly scattered forth
and receive an amount OF credit surprls-
ing TO those who know the real facts OF
the case. You doubtless recall an instance
OF this kind which occurred not long ago
affecting your own country
Zach such story, each such alarm, has
the effect of increasing the demand for
further increase in naval and military prep
arations The alarm usually passes away
after few months, but the result remains
in the increased armaments and in the
stimulus given TO the latent but ever
present warlike sentiment that seems to
exist in the less educated and less thought
full part of the population
Reason. and Not Force.
Dean Rogers struck the keynote OF the
Gathering when he said that it had been
called together to aid iii securing the ulti-
mate abolition of war throughout the
world.
If that end is ever attained" he said.
'it will be because the people of the world
have been made intelligent concerning the
evils of war and have come to know that
international disputes can and should be
settled by reason and not by force 1t is
through congresses like this that the public
opinion of the world is being educated in
favor of the maintenance of peace among
all nations
Speaking of the problem in relation TO
the United States, Dean Rogers said that
the total amount to be expended during the
current fiscal year on account of wars and
preparations for war aggregates s404, 10 IA.
as compared with s32,001,049 appropriated
for the use of the executive Legislative and
judicial departments OF the government
during the same period
THE United States he continued. lis
to-day expending more money for military
and naval purposes and pensions, excluding
interest on the war debt. than any other
nation. and vet we profess to be a pacific
people We are the richest people on the
face of the earth. but that does not excuse
waste and extravagance. There is not a
nation OH the face of the globe that con-
templates war with the United States