The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-08-04
LET US HAVE PEACE"

Those were the words of General
Ulysses S. Grant, the hero of Apo
mattox. When he gave voice to that
sentiment he was president of the
United States. He had been lifted
from obscurity to the highest pima
Gle an American citizen can be placed
solely because of the fortunes and
through the instrumentalities of war;
yet in the supreme moment of his
triumph, fully conscious of the honors
war had conferred upon him, he coun-
seled peace.
Why?
Because he knew that the greatest
happiness of the people were obtain
able along the tranquil lines that
peace insures.
When General Grant gave express
sion to this famous and oft quoted
expression this country was in very
disturbed condition and his prayer
was more to restore pacifcation and
unification between the sections of
our own country than with
any reference to a worldwide peace.
If the question of international
peace, however, had been up for dis
cussion then as it is now, we have no
doubt but that General Grant would
have been among it's strongest and
ablest advocates.
The leaders of international
thought are now engaged upon a
peace propaganda which is bound to
bear fruitful results and he who runs,
though not possessed of much fore
sight, may read, for the signs are Wis
ible upon nearly every mile post.
In his address at Atlantic City,
President Taft remarked that such
arbitration treaties as he is now con-
Guiding will not necessarily abolish
war but will provide a most forci5le
instrument in that direction.
The president made a modest and
conservative statement. We know
that with the potent forces of a free
press and free discussion that the
great nations of the earth will not
seek to violate a sacred obligation for
any trivial cause and the world is too
enlightened now to have the peace
of nations destroyed for the gratifi-
cation of ambitious rulers.
1 Tho conclusion nf
is now pending between the United
States and Great Britain, would rem
der war between them as extremely
improbable and almost impossible.
The conclusion of such treaty will
tend to create throughout the world a
public sentiment against war and in
favor of peace.
The masses of the people of all ma
lions have awakened to the realiza-
ton of the fact that war is barbar-
ism, pure and simple, a survival of
the instincts of the cave man and has
no place among a civilized, Christian
lied people. And the masses of the
4
burdens, without sharing very much
of its glories, are determined that it
shall be done away with, and, regard
less of the Vaccinations of designing
and ambitious plotters, they are de-
termined that the earth shall never
again be Redeemed with human gore.
hn loit he s,aIx
pie, have arrived at the conclusion
that as much as has been said about
great ornaments giving an assurance
of peace, because other nations will
! be frightened thereby, that the alb
sence of ornaments will give a better
assurance and greater protection.
Nations are like ndividuals-they
generally get what they go after, and
what they don't want they do not give
themselves very much bother about
Revolvers, pistols, bowie knives
brass knucks, and such like instru-
ments of individual warfare, are the
destroyers and rarely the protectors
of human life.
And so it is in the manufacture of
TIE great engines of destruction in
national warfare-they are a menace
and not a protection to the peace of
nations.
In the face of the worldwide peace
propaganda that is now being so in
dustriously waged big navies and
great standing armies will become
gradually lessened. These reductions
may come slowly, but they will come,
because the decree has gone forth
that wars shall cease; that the dove
of peace. and not frowning battle
ments and ships of war, shall be the
symbol of our civilization.
/ TIE StIMME PEIEIn (LpnMNs