The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-07-04
TAFT'S PLEA FOR ARBITRATION
ANSWERS ROOSEvELT'S RECENT
HOMiLY on HONOR.
sees No Reason why Great Nations
ShOuid Not Put Their Impulses lnder
Control Tells OF Wars That Might
Have Deen ANertcd BY Arbitration.

COntfOt-TeUy OF wars 1nat MIRnt
Have IIeen Averted by Arbitration.
MARION. Ind. July 3-.President Taft
spoke on arbitration and currency reform
to the Hoosiers to-day.
He was the guest of the town OF Marion
in particular. but all Indiana joined in
| the welcome.
Enthuiastic crowds greeted him at
every station along the route OF his jour
ney. and he was interrupted in his work
on his address every little while by calls
for speech. He l. ade short addresses
at half dozen rlaCes from the platform
Of his chr and Chatted with the people
who gathered to greet him at every stop.
The heat was intense, the thermometer
in the Presidents car registering over
, 100 degrees. Mr.. Taft. however. stood 1t
remarkably we'll
As to currency reform Mr. Taft spoke
plainly in support of Aldrichs plan. ana
urged careful consideration OF 1t by all
classes of men as "the most important OF
! these very important issues s'-recopro-
city, arbitration and currency REFORM
This address was before the Marion
bankers and editors tonight.
In an address before the Marion Ma
| tonal Soldiers Home on arbitration he
declared tina, ~ least two and possibly
| three OF the five wars in which this country
has cnga gcd could have been avoided by
arbitration; pointed out five instances
and made partial claims for others in
which the United States by urging arbi-
| tre'ion had prevented war between
South American countries, urged rati-
| fcaton by the Senate of the proposed
Honduran and Nicaraguan treaties az
helpful to the establishment Of stable COVER
ernments in those countries and ended
| with Il reply to Col. Roosevelt's criti-
cism of arbitration of questions involving
national honor that a country should not
bind itself 10 future acceptance Of a
| tribunals decision in cases where n
peoples cnraged senses would prevent
their abiding by the courts award. He
| said:
Il can see no - on why we may not
have moral courtc" enough in spite OF
our impulse to the contrary TO submit
such questions to an impartial tribunal
and await its judgment"
Telling his veteran audience that they
by "reminiscences suggested war and war
suggested its counterpart. MIR. Taft con-
| tinusd:
| Il am far from saying that war has not
in times past accomplished much in the
progress of the world. Whether the
same progress might have been achieved
in a more peaceful way it il unnecessary
to discuss; probably not. II was by war
that this country gained its independence
Of Great Britain. One hundred and
thirty-five years ago the Declaration Of
| Independence was signed. which changed
| a protest under arms against unjust
government to a successful revolution
II England had been better advised prob
ably war would not have ensued and we
might now be, as in the case of Canada
cherishing attachment to the mother
country without exercising complete indie
pendence.
The War OF 1912 might certainly have
been avoided by arbitration The ques-
tions there presented were questions
all Of which have been settled by the
iud gmcnt Of mankind in favor of our side
Of the controversy.
The war with MeSico-though there
is some dispute over this-was one of the
questions which were capable Of solution
by an impartial tribunal Whether the
| civil war could have been avoided is q
very difficult question to answer. Wher
! slavery has become imbedded in the social
fibre of n country it is possible that only
an eycision of a war knife can remove the
cancer.
Nor shall I attempt to answer n smi
lar question as to the Spanish war. |,
is ono of those instances Of international
dissension like the civil war. and vet
believe that the submission of the ISSUES
TO tribunal might have affected SPAIN
treatment Of Cuba in such way that W.
could have avoided resort ~ arms.
THE truth is the danger Of war between
two great well established countries
with modern armaments is much esi
THAN that kind Of war that arises from
bad government or from the ambitio,
OF sinister men in weak governmen
TO overturn il. The awful consequence
to two heavily armed countries unde
modern conditions of war have been
great deterrent OF war. but the rrespon
sibility Of men claiming to be- patriots
and desiring to overturn existing govern
ments where law and order are not wei
established has led to a great deal o
guerrilla warfare and to the suffering
OF innocent people who find no real prin
ciple involved in the two contending par
ties except that Of ambition for power.
Much of this kind OF war has occurert
in South America and in Central America
and in that degree Of guardianship whicl
the United States must feel over the re
publics OF this hemisphere in maintaining
their integrity against European invasion
we ought TO Welcome every opportunity
which gives us a legitimate instruncn
by which We can make less probable sucl
internecine strife.
in the assertion OF that sort of guar
dianship We have to be very careful T.
avoid the charge, which ia always mad
by the suspicious. that We are seeking on
own aggrandizement in our interference
, with the affairs OF other countries OF thi
hemisphere. II IL an unfounded charge
/, for We envy no power it's territory. W
have enough But we have been able I
fend off war in five or more instances @
, recent date because of our attitude a. a
> elder brother OF these smaller govern
inents"
Here the President detailed the wor
of this Government in preventing war i