Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-22

The Worst at Its Worst.

Ideas are more revolutionary than
Dynamite. saws the Toronto Globe IN
an editorial on our semi-eiviiized IN
ternational politics. Make war still
more dial1olical in its operations, and
the nations of Christendom will be
disposed to keep the peace! That
would seem to be the argument by
which the Interparliamentary Union at
Geneva was influenced in its recent
approval of the view that the worlds
poace would be better served by the
use, OF flying machines, which the in
stincts of humanity would interdict.
Some there are who may find in the
theological atmosphere of Geneva the
secret ofathis hideous philosophy; but
John CALVIN would have denounced IL
as a perversion of reason and truth.
IT was Feeently announced that at the
British naval manoeuvres it had been
demonstrated that bomb could be
droppedtxith absolute accuracy of aim
from ansaeroHlAne 8i4aa the sunnsi of a
battleship, eiowing--..e- the most for,
midable super dreadnought with all its
crew and trainsds haVal force. One
man in a flying machine in the air is
more than a match for a thousand
men on fifteen million dollar battle
shin on the sea. The argument is that
knowledge of this fact will promote
the peace of the world. But will it?
If the folly of the jingoes and the war;
of Germany blind the eyes and scar
the consciences of the two most in
telligent peoples in Europe, so that
they mock at the warnings which
would have staggered any past gener-
alton, what hope is there in further
demonstrations of the brutal inhu-
manity of modern war?
Everyone now knows that the costli-
est warship afloat is helpless against
an inexpensive submarine. Such
knowledge does not check the war
passion in the clubs of London and
Berlin, ana I H. Is Is. tgSt rheswar bud
gets of Esf4t apd tiermahy pile up
hundreds Of millions upon hundreds
of millions year after year on the
half-submerge,i Common people of
both nations. Every one knows that
the. aen-million- dollar battleship of
yesterday built with the taxes blood
sweated But Of Their own citizens, will
be superseded ,ana sent to the junk
heap tomorrow; and yet on the third
day another ten millions will be in the
budget for a new sbattleship. Every
one knows that the six hundred mil
lion dollars spent last year on armies
and navies that make angry faces at
each other across the North Sea is not
The price of peace, but, as Asquith said,
"a satire on civilization; and yet the
last. 4 ton so dull-witted is
not likely TO have sense knocked into
its head by the sight of flying ma
chimes Scattering bombs into warship
tunnels aIiii1 Bf6wfng up'a ireadnought
with Thousand innocent sailor lads
at every SHOT. 4.
whySnot aryftEH proved methods Of
civilization Why not reserve bombs
for things that lsYee mo brains land try
intelligent arguments on intelligent
men? Why not cali down the scare
mongers. and dope the victims of the
wsr-bug, and dismiss the double
dealing diplomats and let reason and
experience and education and religion
try their hand? They could not make
worse mess than perverted diploma
cy and the armament syndicates have
made. If Britain and Germany would
each spend the price of education for
good will between their peoples, even
Canadas despised 'tin-pot navy
would be seen to be an extravagant
inockery.