Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1911-03-21
MODERN KNIGHT RRANTRY.

Commenting on war. it's reason for being and
the reason it is not abolished, the San Francisco
Chronicle says:
If the business men of the world were run
ming it's affairs there might be some hope OF
avertng war in the future, but, unfortunately,
they are not Business rule count the
cost of an enterprise and if it does not promise
to pay they refuse to engage in it.
War cannot be made to pay III modern times;
hence business men would refuse to have any
thing to do with it, Whatever influence they
now have is always directed against war, and,
curiosity enough their efforts are despsed rather
than applauded by the people who are the bene-
ficaries of their cautious attitude, which is con
temptuously spoken of as 'commercialism.
The destines of mankind are III the hands of
So-caed Statesmen, and while they are there
will be all sorts of follies committed chief
among which is that of paying more for insur
ance against a possible evil than the evil would
cost if inflicted
If we could substitute for statesmen men Of
business acumen, who would always measure
the costs of war against the possible benefits of
victory there never would be any armed coll
lisionS. because under no circumstances could the
victor benefit at the expense of the vanquished.
A recent writer has made it perfectly clear
that if Germany could conquer England tomor
row and utterly destroy her commerce. the Ger
mans would probably suffer more than the
British The interdependence of modern nations
is such that the perpetrator OF an injury is as
likely to experience evil consequences from his
act as the one it is inflicted upon.
In antiquity, when nations made war on their
neighbors for purposes of plumber and carried
the subjugated into captivity, the gains of the
victorious could be estimated after fashion !;
but moderns no longer make war to rob to
capture slaves Occasionally they exact an in
demnity but often not the victorious coun-
try is not reimbursed for it's direct outlay, and
it does not begin to recover the amount it in
directly loses through the diversion of it's ener-
gies from the creative arts of peace into the de-
structive activities of war
These are facts that generally conceded,
and it is also beginning to be seen that the in
feror nations-those unable to maintain large
armies or costly navies- are more secure without
them than their more powerful neighbors with
numerous dreadnoughts and big standing armies
but in spite Of all that and the growing con-
viction that some way of averting war should be
found, the prospects of doing do not grow
much brighter.
1t is not because man has warlike instincts
that cannot be changed The idea that honor
could only be repaired, when fractured, by a
resort to the duello has nearly been laughed
out of existence; the intolerance of religious
orthodoxy has been almost eminated and other
equally absurd notions and practice have disap-
peared
Why, then, does the probability of convin-
eng men that they can gam nothing by lighting
seem so remote?
The is simple enough. 1t is because
we insist upon recognizing an honorable pro-
fession the pursuit of arms. IF the world could
be persuaded to look upon the soldier as Stay
of men, a mere butcher, the pressure for de-
fensive ornaments would at cease.
If would resist the creation of mill
tary aristocracy by refusing to elevate the pro
fession of arms to the first place in their esteem
the scales would fall from their eyes and
they would that defensive ornaments are
mere device to make plenty of places for a priv
legged class whose members look down with
contempt upon those who think that the arts of
peace more deserving of consideration than
the destructive agencies Of war
The advocates Of peace will never make much
progress until the status of the military man is
changed! So long the latter is made infu-
entail by being unduIy honored, just that long
!. will he impose his warlike ideas upon the world
When statesmen will accept the guidance
of men of common sense, who hate war because
it interferes with their opportunities for gain
they will be on the right path, and mankind will
be saved from much bloodshed and misery and
an intolerable burder Of taxation
But that is not likely to occur through
preaching or eXhortation nor from the holding
Of congresses.
If Carnegie could have called into existence
with his $10000,000 peace donation Cervantes