New-York tribune., 1911-11-19
Oscar S. Straus Explains
His Change of View on Peace

accentuates this international moral dam
age that Italy has inflicted
Mr.. Roosevelt is quite right in his state
ment that Italy would not have taken this
precpitate, warlike action had Turkey been
as strong on sea she is on land. and
am compelled to come to his conclusion
that the time has not passed when a strong
navy is a better guarantor for the peace of
nations than arbitration treaties. In other
words / believe that until a more just
sense of international peace is developed
the best upholder of peace is the power to
command il. | an, also forcibly brought to
the conclusion that had our government
promptly offered its good offices, even
though they had been rejected, that con-
crete act would have weighed more through
out the world than all the peace propa-
ganda that the administration is now
making. 1t would in any event have af-
forded a precedent for conserving the
worlds peace which would have immeas-
urably strengthened the provisions of the
Hague treaty. We We're in a peculiarly
favored condition TO give Concrete effect 10
this treaty. as European nations apparently
have tied their hands, and with that their
cOnsCiences. by secret agreements, with a
view Of giving Italy a free hand in Tripoli.
"Of course. when the nations advance
sufficiently i'm their determination to up
hold the peace of the world and to submit
their differences to the Hague tribunal, or
any form of peaceful adjustment. TO that
extent the necessity of relying on strong
navies will diminish. 1t is said that a pol
icy of strength is a vicious circle; one
strong navy must be matched by an
other and there is an endless and ruinous
race for the possession of bigger, costlier
and more numerous warships. But in
this instance if Turkey had had even two
or three, first class battleships they would
have served as a decided deterrent to
Italy in making this attack. With such
ships Turkey would have been immeasur-
ably stronger in protecting a distant prov
ince than without such ships, even though
Italy's navy had been much more power
ful than Turkeys. Enough power for de-
fence does not imply power sufficient for
attack and aggression.
$50 the circle is not quite so vicious as it
appears. The remedy OF waiting on the
moral sense Of the world and the growth
of peace sentiment is a poor consolation
for Turkey in her present situation. Per
haps Italy may yet have cause to regret
she did not follow the righteous course,
and If that be so it will result from Tur-
keys power to make aggression upon her
costly in men and money.
1.-THE influence Of a nation for peace in
the council of nations in the present state
of the world is largely measured by her
power to defend herself against aggres-
sions Although this is not as it should
1..-r s.fts NJ IL. foo
The peaceful ending of the Morocco ques-
ton between Germany and France may be
attributed largely not to the weakness of
either nation, but to their strength, and
especially to the strength of France.
which neither sought nor avoided ultimate
consequences Nations which have power
treat each other perforce with respect and
do not hastily unsheath the sword. The
fear Of damage. unfortunately, weighs
more than regard for pledges and moral
considerations and the rights of ciyllza-
ton"
Shortly before the outbreak of the Ital-
ian-Turkish war Mr.. Straus sent tele-
gram TO the State Department at WASH
ington in which he said it was the right
and duty of the United States, under the
uapue treaty and in line with her histori-
cal action in freeing the Mediterranean Of
the Barbary pirates, to intervene for peace
and to prevent possible world conflict be-
+u,een Christian and Mahometan. In
calling on our government to offer its Of
Nces Of mediation Mr. Straus said he was
sure he voiced the peace-loving sentiments
not only of Americans but OF all natlohs'
and he declared that 1taly's justified rights