Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-09-29
Open Letter to Henry Ford
Criticising His Peace Plan

desire and purpose of all nations which
exalt justice and righteousness In their
relations with one another
1t apparently seems to you that 1t is in
human for my man to sell arms and
ammunition, to the allies. I can not agree
with you. It is humane for us to send
food and clothing to the plundered and
impoverished Belgians. 1t is not less hui
man to send guns to the policemen who
are trying to drive the plunderers out of
the home they have devastated and to re-
store 1t again to its rightful owners. Nor
Is there any more reason to impugn the
motives of those who are selling arms and
ammunition to the policemen than to Inn
| pugn the motives of those who are selling
food and clothes for the use of the plum
! iered people.
"Aid the Wolf But Cripple the Lamb"
In brief: To permit warlike nations to
| prepare for war and to forbid peaceable
nations to prepare against war. to permit
warlike nations to accumulate great stores
of arms and to forbid peaceable nations.
in case of attack, to unite and cooperate
in s%elf-defense, would be, as a writer in
the Outlook has we'll said, to laid the wolf
F.! and hamstring the lambs"
! The other method of securing interna-
tional peace-provision for p~eaceable set
Elements OF International controversies
first and isarmament afterward-is sus-
tanned alike by philosophical and historical
considerations. That plan, as it has been
! developed from the Lake Mohonk plan of
1866. may be stated. here. in a single
sentences: 1t is hat the peace loving ma
tons shall attempt the peaceable adjust
ment of all questions which may arise be-
tween them, and agree to unite their
forces to defend any one of their uln
Der If it is attacked by an AGGRESSION. This
plan of securing in%ternational peace has
i 4 hraa distinct a6vanfoppS tn CnYnman6 1T.
How Communities Arc Protected.
1t would put a stop to the ruinous COM
petition between civilized nations, each
attempting to create a bigger military
force than his %neighbor. 1t would not be
necessary for each nation to protect itself
from aggression; 1t would be sufficient IL
it furnished a quota adequate for it's share
in world protection.
1t would give notice to every aggressive
nation that an attempted war of conquest
would have leagued against it the mill
tary forces of the civilized world.
And 1t would pursue precisely that
| policy which civilized nations have pur-
sued in protecting peaceable individuals
from burglars. assassins and mobs. The
l state Is a combination of all peace-loving
citizens in an agreement to give of their
money in taxes and. If necessary, their
personal services, to protect each individ-
ual in the community from wrong-doing.
1t is because we nav combined to main
tain an armed police tina we do not
have ourselves to go armed.
: You and l ave received from our
fathers a land and liberties which 1t is
our sacred duty to hand dow to our
children and our children's children UNI
impaired. In the light of past history
and of recent events we have no right
to guess that no nation will attempt to
play the part of robber on our continent,
and therefore that the lands and the lib
critics which AVE been intrusted to us
will pass unimpaired to our descendants.
This would be a gamble with the inherit.
ance of our children. LYMAN Abbott.