Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22
@P@ac@ EarG Good Will Toward Men" Becoming AcaaMy i'm

popular opinion has changed in this par
ticular. 1t has advanced to spreading
the belief that peace on earth may be &C
complished and that war may reasOna-
bly, be displaced by peaceful methods
for settling international CONTROVERSIES.
Although this Christmas finds war in
the east. pacifists rejoice that a happy
outcome of the conflict will materially aid
the peace movement. Men who have
given years to the study of causes and
effects of war declare that, though the
war could have been prevented by the
intervention of European powers, it
seemed to them as something which had
to come. There is war In the Balkans,
has for so long been the report that this
description of that corner Of the earth
has become proverbial No peace work
has been done there, and it is said that
tranquility may not be expected in the
Balkan peninsula until the principles of
the pacitists embodying certain rights and
liberties form the foundation of a new
national life Of the people. If war ac-
cOmplishes this, the Balkans will be given
their first opportunity to become peaceful,
and a step forward will have been made
\ noted pacifist says that the most
striking lesson of the war now raging in
the Balkan peninsula is that of the in
herent weakness and destructiVeneSs of
militarism. In abiding to the sudden
collapse of Turkish imperialism and mill
tarism, he cites that it is but repeti-
ton of history for all military kingdoms
to perish.
From the fact that although the pow
ers of Europe have strong military and
naval forces and yet have proved them
selves helpless to end the war, it is ar
gued that miltarism is weighed in the
balance and found wanting. Condemned
in such a way the great military or
ganism of Europe receives blow which
may have ultimate effect among the ma
lions of reducing large armies and navies
and of establishing International under
standing and the increase of good faith
And so although there Is war in the
Balkans and rivalries and alliances
among the powers Of Europe causing
feverish excitement. the pacifists predict
these circumstances will result in helping
overthrow the old order of things and es-
tablishing new organization which shall
work for peace.
Among all the chief powers of the world
there is now organized effort to hasten the
time when war shall be supplanted by
more just tribunal for the settling of dis
putes. The peace conferences held in Eu-
rope during this year have proved that
the movement has widespread influence
and that national condolences have been
strengthened Inc OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Union Conference. the International
Peace Congress, the Anglo-German In
Outstanding Conference and the Scandi-
navian International Parliamentary Con-
ference, all held across the water. testify
to the strength of the peace movement.
In America much has been done to
further this cause. The patriots of the
United States have assumed so goodly a
share of the burden of the work that in
modesty the American can say that no
land excel his own in the amount of
energy. wealth and influence expended in
this cause.
No President has ever been a more
Taft. who represents at its best the
rapidly growing sentiment in favor of
the cessation of war; Although the Presi-
dent does not expect that war will be
abolished without much work and long
waiting, he advises the American peopie
TO be alert in recognizing each step OF
progress made in this direction. In his
opinion no disposition of the movement
toward armament or toward increasing
armament can be made until the nations
carrying on such a movement merely for
sef-defense and for protection can be
convinced that there is some other means
upon which they can depend for the
settlement Of international disputes. To
meet this need President Taft has fire.
quently urged the establishment Of an
arbitral court, where one nation may
summons another with the assurance
that that nation will abide by the judg-
ment of that court. Condemning war
holds that II is return to the dark
ages to consider the shedding of blood
essential to satisfying ones honor.
Working in the cause of peace, the
President enlarged the scope of the bu-
reau Of trade relations. causing not only