South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-08-12

News publishes the following:
BY GEORGE BERNARD SHAW.
Now that We are At war il il we'll
we should know what the war is
about. To begin with. we are not at
war because Germany made an in
famous proposal that we should al
low her 20 violate Belgian neutrality.
II il had suited rs TO accept that pro-
posal We should have found plenty
OF reason for accepting it. The dew
Otees Of our own neutrality have
found some OF them already no more
Infamous than the diplomatic reasons
We have given in the past for courses
which happen TO be convenient TO us.
Let rs therefore drop IL.
"Our national track Of virtuOus in
dignatiOn is tiresome enough in peace
ful party strife at home. at war II is
Ungallant and objectionable. Let US
take our pugnacity 20 the field and
leave our hypocrisy and our bad
blood at home. They weaken the
heroic fighter and encourage only
blackguards.
For Balance OF Power.
This war is a balance OF power
war and nothing else. and the fact
that we all have TO face is that IL our
side is victorious the result will be
an Overbalance Of power in favor OF
Russia, far more dangerous TO all
are lighting TO redress
"Prussian militarism has bullied us
for forty years. and months ago
neither Germany nor France believed
that we would fight when il came 10
the point. That is why there was such
a wild expression Of delighted sur
prise when the French chamber
learned that We were game after all
That Is why the kaiser though reck-
less OF every other interest concerned.
offered as the best excuse ne could
invent for our neutrality. believing
we are only too ready TO snatch at II.
And that is also why we had to take
off our coat and sail in We had to
show that when IL comes 10 a balance
OF power We are no mere dummy
weights in the scale.
Must Fight Hard.
"Our immediate business there
fore, is TO fight as hard as We can,
for our weight when the settlement
comes. Will depend on the part we
shall have played in the conflict.
Meanwhile the political influence
OF organized labor at home must not
be waved in idle and exasperating
platitudes about the wickednesas of
war and the extravaganza of big
ornaments and the simplicity of non
Intervention and all other splintered
planks of the old peace retrenchment
arc reform platform.
I
policy OF the socialist and the foreign
policy Of capital IS simple. Capital
sends the flag at the heels OF specula-
ton for profit; socialism would keep
the flag at the head OF civilization.
Capital badly wanted at hOIne is sent
abroad after cheap labor. Financiers
use the control or the army and the
fleet. which they obtain through par
la ment solely TO guard their un-
patriotic investments That is the
root of the present mischief.
France, instead OF using her sur
plus income in abOlishing French
slums and building up French chill
dren into strong men and women. has
lent IL 10 Russia to strengthen the
most tyrannical government in Eu-
rope and to secure the interest on
her loan she has entered into an I'M
natural alliance with Russia against
her more civilized neighbors
Can't Throw Stones.
I'VE have no right TO throw stones
at France on this account, for we
made an agreement with Russia OF a
still more sordidly commercial char |
aCter for the exploitation of Persia
with capital that should have fed our
starving children. and now mark the
consequences Germany, with hos
tile France on one side. and hostile
Russia on the other, is in a position
SO dangerous that we. here in our
island, can form no conception OF It's /
intOlerable tension. BY our blindness
we have brought about the war. We
have deliberately added 10 the strain (
by making a military and naval anti
German alliance with France without /
az the same time balancing its effect f.
by assuring Germany that II she kept
peace with France we would not help /
Russia against her nor in the last re-
source allow Russia 10 advance her {
frontier westward.
lis IL TO be wondered at that Pots (
dam militarism-with chronic panic /
and with militarism raised 20 despera-
ton BY the menace OF Russia. France /
and England-has made a wild at
tempt 10 cut its way out after
despairing appeal TO let IL fight one
20 two instead or one 10 three.
Could Have Kept Peace.
Let us be Just to POtsdam. It
may serve Potsdam right that she
frightened US all 50 much that we
became incapable OF realizing that our
terror was nothing 10 hers. But II
we had been true 10 civilization and
kept our capital at home and our
honor untarnished by sQualid COM
mercial adventures in the east We
should have controlled the situation
and kept the European peace. His
tory will not excuse rs because, after
making war inevitable and We ran
around at the last moment begging
everybody not TO make a disturbance.