Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1914-08-06
A Message TO the, People
of The United States
BY william Howard Taft. in The Independent.

AS / write. Germany is reported TO
have declared war against Russia and
France and the participation of Eng
land 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
ornaments and larger populations
nothing has occurred like it since the
world began.
II is cataclysm. II is a retro
grade step in Christian civilization.
Il Will be difficult to keep the various
countries of the Balkans out of the
war, and Greece and Turkey may
take part in it, All Europe is to be
n battle-ground. II is reported that
the neutrality of Holland has already
been ignored and Belgium offers such
opportunities in the campaigns GER
tain to follow that her territory, too,
will be the scene of struggle.
Private property and commercial
shipping under an enemy's flag are
subject to capture and appropriation
by prize proceedings and with the
formidable navies OF England,
France. Germany, Russia and Italy
active, the great carrying 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 coun-
tries with whom It is conducted and
its interruption means great incon-
yenience 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, Canada. Aus
tralia, South Africa and IN the Orient
must perforce be withdrawn to fill
the war chests of the nations engaged
in a death grapple, and the enter
prlses which that capital made pok-
sible are likely TO be greatly crippled
while the hope of any further expan-
sion must be definitely given up.
This general European war will
give a feverish activity I'm a number
OF branches of our industry. but on
the whole we shall suffer with the
rest OF the world. except that we
shall not be destroying or blowing ND
cur existing wealth or sacrificing the
lives of our best young men and
youth.
II is hard 20 prophesy the scope of
a war like this, because history offers
no precedent. Il is impossible to
foresee the limits of a war of any
I proportions when confined only to two
countries. In our own small Spanish
war we began il to free Cuba and
! when the war closed we found our
selves ten thousand miles away with
the Philippines on our bands.
I The immense waste Of life and
treasure in modern war makes the
loss to the conquerer only less, ii in
deed it be less than the loss to the
conquered
With a high patriotic spirit. peo-
/ pie enter upon war with con
( fidence and with the thought Of mar
tial glory and success. The sacrifices
, they have to make, the suffering they
have to undergo are generally such
, that If victory docs not rest unon
their banners they seek a scapegoai
FOR that which they themselves have
brought on in the head of the state
and the king or emperor who begins
war or allows one to begin puts al
stake not only the prestige of his ma
ton, but also the stability and in.
tegrity of his dynasty.
In such a war as this therefore
With the universal tendency to popu.
lar control in every country the
strain and defeat in war may lead
to state of political 1ux in those
countries which shall snffer defeat
with all the attendant difficulties and
disorder that a change Of government
involves.
While we can be sure that such q
war as this. taking It by and large
viii be a burden upon the United