Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-08-03

TO- AaO were bfCagilt IN this life
with pa and suffe ing. reared with
p&tient toll and tender KINDNESS. who
ere Icsed and henoEsd. men Who
save to Inc world their talents and
the fruits CT their toll and intelligence
lie trsmpled in mire made by their
cwn blood. bruised and torn masses
Of flesh and bone, which, decaying, fill
the land With disease and pestileace
Here snl the, slsseT 71weIe5, dis.
! meT be- ed soldiers shrieking with
pain grpyel and struggle in the filth
of the trench. Many of the wounded
lie for days upon the battlefield sur.
rounded by the most terrible condi-
tons. without medical attendance
food or water. In the Russian and
Japanese war instances were found
where the wounded had ate of the
flesh of the dead that lay near them
Men are torn with shell and sharpnal,
blown up with guncotton and dyna-
mite. burned with liquid fire, asphyxi-
ated with poisonous gases, cut and
slashed with sabres, stabbed with bay
onets. dubbed with rifle butts, entang-
led in barbed wire. cast into spiked
pits in the name of homer. That is
war, but those who fight are less to
be censured than. those who seek profit
by war. The soldier fights for sup
posed principle. he fights because he
thinks he is right, that his nations
honor is at stake or his personal lib
erty Is threatened, or, as in the case
with vast number Of those now fight
ing in Europe, they fight for no other
reason than because they have to. But
1t is different with those cursed hye-
mas of society. those who, secure be-
hind the walls of neutrality, make,
manufacture or sell the powder, shot
and shell to be used in the devils most
damnable scheme of torturing the hui
man raceswar, and for no other rea-
son than private gain They would
sacrifice all humanity at the altar of
the Golden IDOL The Almighty Dol
lar is more important to them than
human life and happiness. While Eu-
rope Is being filled with manned and
crippled humans, while thousands of
wives are being made destitute wild
ows and thousands of children are be-
ing robbed of their fathers, while the
land Is being filled with disease. desc
lation and wretchedness, while its
towns and great cities are being she'll
ed to absolute ruin, these idolaters,
secure from all danger of flying lead
end steel, wax fat, provided with all
the comforts and Injuries of life, and
tsL.r cefse-s bulge with blood naoney
The mechanic or the day laborer is
no better even though he accepts en-
ployment at such. heinous work
through the necessity Of gaining live
lihood for could he or bis family suf-
fer more through righteous idleness
by his refusing to work at such a
task than his brother workers and
their families in Europe are suffering
as result of his handicraft?
It is argued that to stop the sale OF
munitions of war now would be an I'M
neutral act. That II gould be equiva-
lent to abandoning a lawful and le-
climate traffic in order to help end
the war in favor of Germany. Then,
If that is the case, is not the con-
tinued manufacture and sale of war
materials abiding the war in favor OF
the Allies? What about neutrality? 1t
is also argued that since the United
States is not armed to the teeth" 1t
might be vitality necessary for us, some
day, TO have the right to purchase
military supplies from foreign manu-
facturers and that consequently we
could i'll afford to have that right di-
minished. Be that as II may this fact
is as self-evident as the mole on teach
er's nose, that If the profit from the
sale of munitions of war should fall
to zero tomorrow their manufacture
and sale would stop that same instant.
Tell me, you who uphold the NUM-
tion-of.whole traffickers,
would they, through the necessity of
preserving our neutrality, or to insure
our right to purchase shot and shell
abroad, be compelled to make and sell
war materials to belligerents at a
loss?
Consider conditions in Europe; ev-
erybody knows it is the most dread
full. most insane, most brutal war in
human history and yet in this country,
the boosted land of the free. we rejoice
because it is making business good for
us. We dance about the stock ticker
eagerly watching results. We anxious
" feel the pulse of Wall Street while
that body keenly watches the war or.
ders. The New York World declared
while ago: Prosperity is cutting
loose" and with gladdened hearts we
see confidence ever strengthening,
driving the "specter Of calamity" to
the four winds. With quickening
breath We read In the trade journals
of the improvements in the various
lines of trade. Hurrah. we're going
to have good times on the dead bodies
in Europe. To those whose hearts
are right the fact is deplorabie that
nations which claim to be civilized