The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-05
Talk of the Dove" Makes w. I
Stead Feel Like Fight
ing.
THE GULL d HALL AFFAIR
Speakers Inconsistency Cry for
Peace, Even at Cost
of War.
ny WILLIAM II. STEAD.

London, June 4-Why Is it that !
never attend peace meeting without
becoming bellicose? The cause OF
peace is one of the hottest In the
world. / have devoted many years of
my life to its advocacy in many lands.
Yet I never listen to the speeches at
conventional peace meetings without
feeling stirred up into fierce revolt
against peace societies and peace ora
tors.
The peace meeting at the Guildhall
lone of the biggest ever held in the
city of London--is n case in point. The
Bishop of hereford was in the chair
and your Andrew Carnegie was the
chief speaker
The Guildhall was crowded. 1t Is
n famous hall built by citizens who
thought the best way to show their
love of peace was to adorn 1t with
monuments to the honor of the Duke
OF Wellington and Lord Nelson. Over
the door hung the flag OF the City Of
London Volunteers, who went out to
Africa to fight the Beers.
Mr.. Cnrncgie's Inconsistency.
Mr.. Carnegie who was in his usual
gleeful mood, babe us all be OF good
cheer. for the day was coming when
the killing of man by man would be
regarded as a barbarism incompatible
with civilization. To settle disputes
by slaughter was worthy only OF Wild
beasts and savages. And so forth. and
so fortl--sentimen which were beau
tifully applauded by his sympathetic
audience.
But by curious Inconsistency Mr..
Carnegie devoted the only practical
part of his speech to an argument In
favor OF the formation of a league OF
peace. the members of which were 10
nrnvpnf nations rs ~,
force If necessary. He looked forward
TO the day when the nineteen American
republics would band thems elves to-
gethes to compel any two OF their
number to abstain from war. longed
to stand up and ask Mr.. Carnegie
whether If Independent sovereign
states are to be compelled by force
TO keep the peace how the necessary
force was to be applied except by the
use of those methods OF slaughter
which he had just been denouncing
as Incompatible with civilization and
worthy only of wild beasts and saw
ages But I refrained. not wishing to
convert peace meeting into a bear
garden.
One feature OF all the speeches was
the eu1oglzing of King Edward as the
greatest of peacemakers. Speaker af-
ter speaker harped upon the services
luS ldtS hlllS ilsio cIIOMtd " peuCe.
And then with one consent they went
on TO abuse the building OF Dread
nougtts, which King Edward himself
always regarded as absolutely indis-
pensable to the success Of his pacific
policy
A I,aborite's Arguments.
A Labor member OF Parliament, Ram
say Macdonald, made one of the most
fatuous speeches from peace point
=
claimed that we could not stand the
nam ents, which is the one argument
the war party in Germany constantly
1 uses when appealing to Germany to
spend moro and ever more millions on
tthe navy.
England. is weakening they say;
abe will SON have to throw up the
sponge. rtetNus keep on little longer
and the game Will be in our own
hands.
ton s untrue. John Bull will spend
his last penny before he consents to
lose the sovereignty of the seas, which
lis for him matter of life and death.
But more remains behind. For Mr..
Macdon went on to say that as we
would be unable to bear the strain we
should before long be comp elled to
declare war upon the power whose
Increased ornaments threatened our
security.
Force Is Necessary, Says Stead.
Lord Shaw quoted sope appalling
hgures as to the growth of the cost
OF ornaments In the five nations
Germany, France. Russia, England and
1.-THE United States. They had gone up
l29 per cent. in the last ten years, aud
next year will reach daily expendi-
/ ture of million pounds sterling.
But instead OF indicating how this
ruinous expenditure Is to be stopped he
went on to eulogize the Supreme Court
at Washington and the Judi cial Com
| mittee OF the Privy Council In Lon
] don. which between them adjudicate
! as final courts OF appeal all disputes
arising among one-quarter of the
human race.
But he calmly ignored the fact that
| neither the Supreme Court nor the
( Judicial Committee would be able to
keep the peace We're it not that be-
hind them stands the whole military
and naval force of the republic and the
! empire.
( All this denunciation of physlcar
I force as mark OF savagery Is not
only misleading but mlschievous AS
civilization progresses the need Of
using arms will be minlmlzed. But to
( forswear the use OF force is midsum-
! mer madness.