New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1915-05-12

at the moment; but the figures are small,
after all, compared with the tremendous
increase of American trade which can
be hoped for Immediately after the
war is over. Every shipload of rifles
and cartridges that leaves the harbor
of New York delays the hour when at
last the great commerce of the world
can peacefully pass the Statue of Liberty.
This commerce surely will be, the larger,
the less the belligerent nations have
mutually destroyed their economic en-
ergies. To stop the war by an embargo
on exports of arms is the only possible
advice of the true economist who,
not swept away by fanaticism, has
only true national interest before his
eyes. The lobby of manufacturers of
arms should not be permitted to mis-
lead the nation, which badly needs the
prosperity which only peace can bring.
"But is the gain and loss of our country
to be measured only by import and ex-
port? How does our account stand in
the spiritual clearing Can we
deceive ourselves about the fact that
our standing in the world has pitifully
lost in the last eight months? We may
discount the loss of sympathy among
certain nations; it is a matter of course
that they must despise those who claim
to be leaders in the peace movements
of the world, and who build peace palaces
in The Hague, and yet who make the
continuation of the world war possible
by their feverish war industry; but the
neutral nations of the world are clear
sighted enough to see this demoralizing
contrast. Even our noblest actions be-
come degraded by this unholy trade.
1t was a Swedish paper which wrote
only recently that it is absurd for America
to speak of it's charity to Belgium and
Poland, when it's collections are hardly
three per cent, of the net profits from
the sale of munitions for the war! Have
we really the respect of those nations
whose political ambitions our course
may serve? On the contrary. We have
their loud applause, of course, and their
encouragement, so that we may not
think of putting an embargo on the
export of the arms they need for their
strategy; but anybody who reads the
newspapers and magazines, or who comes
back from time of real observation
in Europe, must frankly confess that
the respect for America has sunk as
quickly as the satisfaction in the Ameri-
can military aid has risen. Mr.. John
Reed, well-known war correspondent,
since his return from Europe has de-
clared in public meetings that there
is really no difference at present among
the Allies, the anti-Allies and the neu-
trails; all are convinced that American
help can be had by the highest bidder.
And yet the United States was the
nation which, only year ago, stood
before the whole European world as
the symbol of moral idealism in public
life!
"But if we have lost not only the good
opinion of the world, we have lost,
by the same stroke, a tremendous
opportunity for our own practical nation
al life. If we had declared from the
first hour that we would do our moral
share to make this war impossible, by
denying every means of destruction to
all combatants alike, we would have
risen above all the countries of the
world and would have been the arbiter
of Europe in this gigantic hour of his
tory. 1t is much greater to be an UNI
pire state than an empire state. From
what quarter of the world is an early
peace to come to the civilized nations
if not from neutral ground? The belli-
gerents, left alone, must be swept by
the passion of the battlefield which
swells with every new encounter, and
finally turns hostility into boundless
hatred that brushes every longing for
peace. But the spectators without are
called to voice the emotionenal soberness
of reason and of brotherly love. Yet
the neutral states of Europe are half
enmeshed in the struggle and the neu-
trail states of Asia or of South America
lack the authority. The great republic
of the New World alone had the power
and the strength and the mission. Alas,
it has lacked only that supreme vision
which should have warned it not to be
dragged into the European turmoil
by the craving for profits from NUM-
tions of war. Can any one imagine
that the anti-Allies would accept now
the propositions of Washington as the
real message of neutral referee? Presi-
dent Wilson intuitively felt the great
ness of Americas task in the first hour;
he had built the pedestal for the judge;
but the merchants have broken it down,
and history will tell only of it's scattered
fragments.
"But even if we felt superior to the
judgement of the world, and if we did
not care whether we missed the great
historic chance, could we overlook
the possibility of ultimate danger to
our own country? What has happened?
In few months time we have trans
formed the industries of our land into
one great factory for war purposes.
In many an industrial city there is not
plant running full time today that
does not help the gruesome game of
war. The industries which were our
pride are pushed to the wall, and in
dustries that we're our horror have
their fires burning night and day.
Have we forgotten that old reproach
which the friends of peace hurled at
the gun factories of Europe, that their
influence was responsible for the war
spirit of the nations? Must we not fear,
when the day of peace comes and the
big orders are cancelled, that these
hundreds of plants will supply our own
country not only with munitions but
with thousand half-true and quarter
true reasons for making use of them?