Milford chronicle., 1914-09-18
| MESSAGE TO The PEOPLE
OF The UNITED STATES
.BY WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT.

lBY WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT
As write, Germany is reported tc
/ have declared war against Russia anC
France, and the participation of England
on the one side and of Italy on the other
/ seems imminent. Nothing like it has
occurred since the great Napoleonic wars,
and with modern armaments and larger
I populations nothing has occurred like ii
since the world began
II is a catyClysm. 1t is a retrograde
step in Christian civilization 1t will be
difficulty to keep the various countries of
the Balkans out of the war, and Greece
and Turkey NAV take part in ii. All
Europe is to be battle ground Il is
reported that the neutrality of Holland
has already been ignored and Belgium
offers such opportunities in the campaigns
certain to follow that her territory, too,
viii be the scene of struggle.
Private property and commercial ship
ping under an enemy's flag are subject
10 capture and appropriation by prize
proceedings and with the formidable
nayies Of England, France, Germany,
Russia and Italy active the great carry
ing trade of the world will be in large
part suspended or destroyed or will be
burdened with such heavy insurance as
greatly to curtail it.
The commerce Of the world makes
much for the prosperity of the countries
with whom it is conducted and its inter-
rupuon means great inconvenience and
economic suffering among all people
whether at peace or war. The capital
which the European people have invested
by the billions in the United States, Can
ada, Australia, South Africa and in the
Orient must perforce be Withdrawn to
I'LL the war chests of the nations engaged
N a death grapple, and the enterprises
which that capital made possible are
likely to be greatly crippled while the |
nope Of any further expansion must be |
definitely given up.
This general European war will give |
everish activity in number of branches |
If our industry, but on the whole we
hall suffer with the rest of the world |
Except that we shall not be destroying or
flowing up our existing wealth or sac
lhcing the lives Of our best young men
nd youth.
1t IS hard to prophesy the scope of a
var ike this, because history offers no
recedent. 1t is impossible to foresee
he limits of a war of any proportion
'hen confined only to two countries. In
ur own small Spanish war we began it
D free Cuba, and when the war closed
re found ourselves ten thousand miles
way with the Philippines on our hands.
The immense waste of life and treasure
] a modern war makes the loss to the
onquer only less, if indeed it be less.
nan the loss to the conquered.
With a high patriotic spirit. people
1ter upon war with confidence and with
le thought of martial glory and success.
he sacrifices they have to make the
ifterlng they have to undergo are gen
ally such that if victory does not rest
pom their bannert they seek a scapegoat
T that which they themselves have
ought on III the head of the State. and ,
e KING or emporer who begins a war
allows one to begin, puts at stake not ,
lly the prestige of his nation but also 7
e stability and integrity of his DYNASTY. .
II such war as this, therefore, with the ;
liversal tendency to popular control in 7
cry country, the strain and defeat in
n may lead to a state of political hux
those countries which shall suffer de- /
At with all the attendant difficulties S
d disorder that a change of govern
ent involves. i
While we can be sure that such war {
tnis, taking 1t by and large, will be a t
rden upon the United States and is a S
eat misfortune, looked at solely from e
standpoint of the United States, we n
We every reason to be happy that we s
able to preserve strict neutrality in
'pect to cit. Within our hospitable T.
nndarles we have living prosperous v
d contented emigrants in large num- g
rs from all the countries who are to d
le part IN the war and the sympathies b
these people will of course be with
eir respective native lands. Were there :.
other reason this circumstance would !,
Id to keep us free from any entanple- Z
mt. .
We may sincerely hope that Japan =,
! not be involved. She will not be y
less the war is carried on to the far =,
lent, to India or to China. Germany .
) but small settlement in the Orient q a,
lie France and Russia and ENGLAND n
uld be allies in this war and it would !.
m quite unlikely that there would ~
Sc any obligation under the English ~
'anese alliance for Japan to assist En- a, q,
nd. "
)t the great powers of the world, there. q,
e, the only ones left out are likely to ~
the United States and Japan, and per a.
Is only the United States, by reason of
alliance between Japan and England.
an, If she keeps out of the war. will
upy the same advantageous position.
ich will be ours, of complete neutral IN
OF an actually Judicial attitude, and ea