Mexico Missouri message., 1915-04-01
REV.UNDERWOOD
GIVES VIEWS
FORMER AUDRAIN COUNTY BOY
FIGHTS THE WAR
SPIRIT.

Rev. A, Elmer Underwood, born
and reared in this county, now
preacher of the gospel at Garden
City, Kansas, was recently honored
by being appointed on a peace COM
mission with Gov. Clapper. Rev.
Underwood reports to his home pa
per in part as follows his many
Audrain County friends will enjoy
reading what he says:
Upon being requested by the ed
itor of the Telegram to give report
of the peace convention, it is
pleasure to respond. In respose to
the call of Gov. Clapper more than
400 delegates representing city gov
ernments, peace societies and labor
organizations, met in Representa-
tive Hall, in the State House, to SOW
the seed of peace the fruition of
which it was hoped would be trans
planted to all parts of the world.
There are some principles in the
hearts of the Kansas people and it
was the desire of the convention to
express this State sentiment and re-
quest other states to follow with
like expressions. We wished to
place our brother State on record as
deploring the present war in Eur
ope as barborous, cruel and uncall-
ed for. While we realize we cannot
stop the present conflict which in our
hearts we look upon as murder, we
feel that a movement for peace on
our part would encourage our Pres
ident in his stand and have an influ
ence far-reaching into the future.
We recommended that peace and eq-
uity leagues be formed in every COM
munity of the state for the purpose
of promoting the principles promul-
gated by the convention. Chancellor
Strong, of Kansas University, ex-
pressed the sentiment of the conven-
ton in these words: I'VE don't want
any rulers of the world. We want
peace. We don't want France, or
England, or Germany, or any other
country to rule. We want the people
of the world to be free" Ex-
Governor Hoch responded with an
approval of the American peace pol
cy, and also his opinion as to the
result of this conflict. He said: 81
believe that this war spells the death
knell of royalty, and lot of emper-
ors and kings, and dukes and counts
and nO-accounts, will have to go out
of business. And out of this war
will come the rule by the people of
the world" He also called our at
tention to the fact that the liquor
traffic is doomed in Europe.
Through this war;" he said, Sin a
nation of 15O,OOO,OOO, the liquor
traffic was driven out in a night"
There were two significant points |
to the convention which are worth |
noticing. First, that war will not |
settle differences. Ex-Governor Hoch |
thus points out this condition: 1.-THE |
Civil War was fought to determine |
the status of the negro and the rela- |
tion of the state to the federal gov
eminent. We spilled blood like water |
yet so years after the war is either |
the status of the negro or that of the
state settled? The idea set forth is |
the impossibility of shooting friend
ship or brotherhood into any people. |
The second point is seen in the rela-
ton of the United States and Eng
land on our northern border. While
the boundary lines between countries
of Europe are dotted with forts, the
| line between the United States and /
Canada has been left unguarded for
over a hundred years despite the fact
that two energetic peoples are push
ing steadily westward. This un-
guarded line is the most convincing |
as to the ability of CIVILIZED peoples to
keep the peace. 1t affords an exam
pit which is not unreasonable to /
hope may one day be universally
followed. Great navies and large ar
mics, fortified ports and dread
naughts, creates jealousies and rival
ries which result in antagonism even
among highly civilized peoples.
Therefore, Kansas leads out in
movement to guide public opinion
and frame public policies for a peo-
pie which is not unreasonable to
justice and no force shall rule the
destinies OF the world. If disputes
can be adjusted without war; If
differences OF temperaments. OF am
bition and of national interest can be
settled without armed conflict; If
points of honor and national pride
can be satisfactorily met without the
shedding OF innocent blood; then
surely there is no limit to what may
be hoped for in the years to come.