The Washington herald., 1911-09-10
PR ROBING REAL COSTLINESS OF WAR,
ECONOMISTSPLAN 'PEACESCIENCE'

Ind, that practically every war in which
the nation has ever been engaged could
have been prevented by arbitration at the
proper time.
1T is something to say that wars may
be prevented in the future by arbitration,
but it takes courage of conviction to
state that wars in the past, however
gloriously fought and nobly won, were
indiscTeet.
Senator John Sharp Williams, Of Mis-
sissippi, who is a member Of the board
of trustees of the Carnegie peace en<
dowment, looks upon the plan of enlist
ing the best aid of the most learned econ<
omists of the world as a wise course "a
pursue. He says:
Il hope to see a code of international
law evolved some day that will be the
work OF the greatest international law
yers of the world. 1 want justice rather
than diplomacy to prevail in that code.
Let us pay less attention to the rights
of man and more to the duties Of men.
f"The time is rapidly passing when men
will cut one another's throats over the
windings of some little creek that forms
boundary in some obscure part Of their
possessions. nor will men much longer be
content to serve as puppets to the ambi-
tions of leaders and reckless rulers.
1T is not the flag, but what the nag
stands for, that men will fight for to-day
Unless flag stands for something worth
while to a nation it is only bunting and
not worth dying for, and it will not main
tain It's place as the fetch which 1t has
so often been in the history of the world
''Codifying international law on plan
acceptable to all nations, teaching that
war is murder, larceny, and rapine; sum-
ming II all UP in dollars and cents that
form an irresistible argument to COM
mercial nation is a new way Of securing
peace but it is the only logical and rea-
sonable way.
Praises POpe's Letter.
THAT letter that the Pope issued was,
to my mind. a Christ-like thing to do.
Teaching and helping to bring about uni
versal peace is one of the most laudable
things the clergy of all denominations
can engage in, and when $4,000. 900 of the
people in Latln-American republics united
in giving Andrew Carnegie a gold medal
in grateful testimony, it is fine to see
their sentiments indorsed by the church
to which most of them belong.
But consistency on the part Of all who
are working for peace is now absolutely
necessary. No man can clamor loudly
for peace and then denounce arbitration
treaties or advocate a lot more war YES
sells and larger army. When we fool
ourselves we do not fool any one else.
We already have the second largest navy
in the world. Our Delaware took first
prize at the coronation bench show OF
the dogs of war of Spithead last month.
Our army is large enough for all the
police work it has to do.
with navy big enough to defend our
shores and an army as capable as ours
has shown itself to be, think we can
all now afford to be consistent advocates
ton is at hand, for the common sense
of the nations of the world will de-
mandIt"
James Brown Scott. secretary OF the
endowment, described the personnel OF
the Berne conference as being composed
of men representative of the conserva-
tive, the progressive, and the moder-
ately radical schools of thought. 1t is
COMPOSED of men who. are wise in states
manship and ripe in scholarship. There
are old heads to advise and younger men
to execute. The work, according to DR..
Scott, will be of/the most scientific and
authoritative nature. The researches Will
] find a place, when published, in all the
| libraries of the world, and will be access
| sible to scholars.
1T will be the duty OF the third d.
vision to popularize 1t and to distribute
| ii. In this way the endowment hopes to
mold public opinion, not by appeals along
the lines of emotion and sentiment, out
by offering arguments that Will, 1t IS
hoped, prove irresistible by reason OF
| their truth and logic"