Evening journal., 1910-12-19
MONDAY. DEC. Ie. 1910
PEACE AND WAR.

0UITE appropriate is it that Mr. Carnegies
~ gift of ten millions for the peace propaganda
should come at the season OF peace on earth and
good will towards men, and oddly enough the ex-
tremes meet, for following the announcement of
the gift comes a tremendous effort to create
great scare. congressman representing
California has suddenly seen Hobsonon vision
Of the war crazed laps invading this oouDtry, and
what shall we do? The contractors and others who
profit by the war game at once answer build more
ships increase the army greatly spend millions OF
dollars more for war and then we shall be saved.
But it is unlikely that the nation will be thrown
of its feet by the latest war scare.
The violent and vulgar Hearst through his news
papers has been trying TO create scare for years.
but he has been unsuccessful 1t is hard TO make
sensible and Americans believe that Jap
anese army is 10 be landed on the Pacific and
march direct to Washington or that navy is
so inefficient that it could not protect our shores.
If the navy is so inefficient as the war mongers
would have us believe, what in the world have we
been doing for so many years and to what use
have the huge sums taken from the tax payers
been devoted
Assuredy we are in a fair position TO defend
ourselves If attacked and it is not TO be presumed
that the United States is going 10 attack any
other country without great provocaton. Per-
haps Japan is menace to peace The war spirit
may have been aroused in that nation but il is not
likely 10 find vent in a conflict with America. We
have gone for many years without being aSsailed
and no other nation has been anxious TO tackle us
Then, besides, the peace spirit is growing Mr.
Carnege's gift will help that spirit along much to
the discomfort of the militarists. Just how much
good the Carnegie movement will accomplish OF
course remains to be seeen. Conventions are held
at The Hague, conferences are called and the un-
desirability of war is freely discussed. but
can estimate just how much practical good has been
accomplished Certainly the result of all the
academic agitation of peace has not been seen in
the essening of war preparations among nations
There is, however, great force working in a
practical manner TO counteract the war spirit, and
il peace prevails we think il will not be because
Of the agitation of Carnegie foundations or trus-
tees of Carnegie millions but it will come because
of the efforts of this other force which is the So
cialist party. Ant-Miltarism, ant-war, is one Of
the cardinal panks in the Socialist platform. 1t
is the only political party that boldly and audac-
ously stands for peace and the fierce attacks that
the Socialists make on mtarism and war are ex-
ceeded only by the viciousness with which they
assail the courts and Federal judges. The Social
lists doing the best they can by instilling into
the laboring classes an antipathy to war and all
that II implies for they point out that interna-
tional war according to their doctrine is merely
the killing of workingmen Of one nation by those
Of another
Several years ago when the war monpers at
tempted to get up a German-English War scare
one of the most notable incidents was the constant
exchange of messages between the Socialist lead
ers or the Reichstag and the English labor leader,
giving assurances Of frendliness and assurances
that they would do all in their power to preven
the capitalists and ruling classes from bringing
on a war
Thus again, in considering war extremes mce;
the Capitalist Carnegie and the class consciou
Socialists, leaders of the proIctariat united in thei
opposition to war