The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-01
ROOSEVELT ON PEACE AND LAW

Col Roosevelt was active ON Decora.
tion Day. He was the chief speaker
al the memorial services at Grant S
tomb. and took Inc occasion TO air his
opposition TO the peace propaganda
which is making such hcadway through
out the world. and to base his opposi.
ton 10 1T on what he says was the old
cry for peace in 1861; but il is insulting
80 cite that cry in the present case. For
Col. Roosevelt makes curiously false
assumption aud application of his refer
cucc. The cry for peace in 1861 was not
from the South. il WIS not from the
North, but only from the copperhead
element of the North, the opponents of
the war. and men who wcrc willing to
let the South go.i' This cry took
form in the Democratic platform of
1864 in square demand for peace at
any-price. But the active forces of the
time never took any account of that
cry: there was never any substantial
force in this country at the back Of it.
1t came from traitors in the North
chiefly, and not from either Of the par
ties to the contest. In the early DAYS of
the dispute, to be sure, there were
voices raised IN the South that all they
wanted was TO be let alone. This, how
ever, was soon dropped, and the South
began the aggressive war. The North re.
sponded, but not in any spirit OF peace
at.any- price, and never was the peace
at-any-price propaganda of sufficient i'm.
portance TO win any elections. And
when Col Roosevelt undertakes to bring
in that traitorous proposition as like
the present day peace propaganda, or
TO say that there was in the North any
substantial sentiment that would have
been willing 10 give way TO the South
for the sake Of peace, he totally mis-
applies the peace cry OF 1861; and in un
dertaking TO make it force to be reck-
oned with. he perverts the facts. 1t
was a negligible quantity so far as the
swaying of the action of the forces for
the Union. just as it was negligible
quantity in swaying the forces that
aimed to destroy the Union, Neither
side paid any attention 10 1t, save only
that the South goried In the back fire
set by the traitorous peace cry of the
copperheads Of the North.
The great bond OF the Union was be-
ing severed and its flag was being
torn down from its proud eminence as
the signal of freedom, of liberty, and
-. L.. .,
The North responded TO the challenge,
regarding not the small and weak cry
for peace, which was in fact a traitor
Gus cry, and having but little thought
on the other hand, Of the abolition cry
that the war WAS to free the slave.
Neither the peace cry nor the cry to
free the slaves had 10 do with the as
sembling Of the armies of the Union.
Those armies assembled in response to
the challenge Of the South for a fight,
aud 10 defend the Union when thus as.
sailed. All other questions were sub.
sidlary. , President Lincoln made this
very clear in all of his public utter
anccs and in all Of his correspondence
With him the question was the simple
one of saving the Union; the sole idea
with him was from the first TO preserve
the Nation. And so il was with the
armies who responded TO his call. Col |
Roosevelt ought 10 know better than to
compare the traitorous peace at any
ligDant traitors in 1861 to the great
peace propaganda that is now sweep,
ing over the world.
The Roosevelt proposition that he
stands for peace "ouly AS the hand. !
maiden Of Justice, - assumes two things, !
both untcnablc first. that war is nee |
essarily Just and arbitrst tion unjust But
the experience of mankind has been so
oricvous in unjust wars, that the first |
assumption is dscredited, while the sec.
ond assumption. that arbitration is less |
likely to do Justice than war. must be |
proved before il can be admitted by
mankind.
Col Roosevelt was also the speaker |
at the unveiing Of bronze statue Of
Abraham Lincoln al Newark, New Jcr |
sey. In this address he boldly declared
that the laws OF this country arc out |
worn. that they served for men in more
primitive times, but they do not ap.
ply to present day conditions; and he
declared that the laws must keep up
with changed conditions, retaining the
spirit Of liberty and Justice, curbing
The greed of the consciencelcss rich and
banishing anarchy. He appears in this
10 be blindly unconscious that the very
sort of talk he thus INDUCES in is the