Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-04-17

for peace in reality and not merely
( for the name of peace. and that YOU
are for peace based on justice and
right and not for peace that couse-
/ crates successful wrong; for peace
that conseCrates wrong may be acfu-
ally worse than any war Well. the
paper YOU inclose is i'm effect exacr1,
as much an endorsement OF the
/ peace once obtained in Warsaw hv
tramplinE liberty and humanity under
foot as o. the peace obtained ar the
same time in the United States bv re-
storing the union and freeing the
slave.
ANY movement that fails emphat-
icaly TO discriminate between the two
kinds OF peace and the two kinds OF
war is an evil and not a good move
ment. Any movement that speaks
against war in terms that would apply
as much 10 such war as that waEed
By Lincoln as 10 the war waged 10
destroy free people is a thoroughly
base and evil thing
Above all, II is base and evil 70
clamor for peace in the abstract. when
silence is kept about concrete and
hideous wrongs done 20 humanity az
this very moment
Belgium has been trampled into
bloody mire Frightful wrongs have
been committed upon the men. wo-
men and children of Belgium The
BeIgians have fought vaHautlv
against their oppressors. Yet this pa
per YOU iucIose does not contain one
protest against the commission OF
such wrongs as have been committed
on Belgium. and does denounce war
in such fashion as 10 include i'm the
condemnation the Belgians just rs
much as the oppressOrs of Belgium
There is nothing easier. There is
nothing on the whole less worth while
entering into than vague and hyster-
zeal denunCiations of wrong in the alb
stract. or vague and hvstericaI de-
mauds for right in the abstract, coup
led with the unworthy and timid re-
fusaI even to alIude TO frightfUl
wrongs that are at the very moment
being committed in the concrete.
Congresses that pass resolutions
against war and in favor of peace in
the abstract do not do one particle Of
good, because their resolutions are
utterly meaningless, and must be ut
terIy meaningless unless they are re-
duced to concrete facts in the case
OFFERS Counter Peace Program.
Let the people who advocate the
platform and principles you inclosed
hold a meeting specifically 20 de-
ncunce the invasion of Belgium BY
Germany and TO demand that in the
interests Of peace. the United States
do what it can to put stop TO those
wrongs
Let them denounce Nessrs. wilson
and Bryan for trying TO force through
the ship purchasing bill. which was
in the interest of the power that
wronged Belgium and in spite Of the
fact that their action might tend 70
bring US into war with the powers
that have sought TO defend Belgium.
Let them do something that shows
that they mean what they say and
that they are really striving for right
eousness.
Until they do this let every wise
and upright man and woman refuse
10 have anything more 10 do with q
movement which IS certainly both
foolish and noxious, which is accom-
panied by a peculiarly ign0ble aban-
doument of national duty, and which
If successful would do only harm, and
the mere attempt 70 accomplish which
rightly exposes our people TO meas
ureless contempt
Comment in Washington.
Washington, d. c., April l5.-A6-
rninistration officials refused to allow
quotation of their views of Colonel
Roosevelt's letter 10 the Woman
Peace party. One cabinet officer saia
il looked as if the former president
we're more interested in making a po-
MticaI attack on the administration
than in discussing the possibilities O.
restoring peace 20 Europe
Defenders Of President Wilson sau
that Colonel Roosevelt repeated N
his letter the criticism which he mas
been finging at the administration
for several months.
The administration takes The posi-
ton that The Hague treaty would not
have justified a protest TO Germany
and that moreover the question OF inc
violation Of the neutrality OF Belgium
is one of the disputes between me oei
ligerents. The allies contend tha'
Belgian neutrality was violated INC
Germans that il was not. for the Tes
son that Belgium already had impa"
ed her own standing by an agreement
with Great Britain respecting an 81.
legged attack on Germany. To h@'0
protested. according 70 adminlsua
ton officials, would have been a t1a
ing of sides which would have amour.
ed TO a violation Of American neutI@'
ity.
The friends of the president s@'
that Colonel Roosevelt's remarks con
corning the ship purchase bill are uA-