Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-18
Mr.. ROOSEVELT SCORES
W0MAN'S PEACE PARTY
Former President Denounces Its plat
form us Both "Bnse aud
Silly.r

J WASHINGTON. April 17.--Denounc-
ing as silly and base demand for
peace which makes no mention of Bel
GUMS wrongs, Theodore Roosevelt, in
a letter to Mrs. Julie Barrett Rublee.
or this city, assails the platform OF the
woman's party for constructive peace.
very large proportion of ultra
pacihsts are influenced by physical
cowardice declared Mr.. Roosevelt, who
adds that "thero is nothing more re-
pulsivc than to SEQ people agitating
for general righteousness in the alb
stract when they dare not stand UP
against wickedness In the concrete"
Fifty years ago." Mr.. Roosevelt as
serts, the copperhcnds OF the North
held exactly the views abou: peace
which are set forth in the platform you
inclosed. and to II man they voted
against Abraham Lincoln. They did
f, all they could to break up the Union
and to obtain the triumph of slavery,
| because they put peace as the highest
OF all gods, just exactly rs IT is put
ny the people who have constructed
that paper you sent me-
| Il speak with scientific accuracy
when l speak Of this movement as both
| oase and silly. 1t is silly because II is
absolutely futile It proposes to go on
with just tho same kind Of futile agi-
| tation which. by the experience Of n
century. and. above all. by tho expert
ence OF the last thirty years, has
| proved wholly useless and on the whole
slightly mischievous
Not one particle OF good will be OBJ
tanned by any such action as that out
lined In that paper you sent
assume OF course. that you are 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 consecrates success
full wrong; for peace that consecrates
wrong may be actually worse than any
war.
Above all. IT Is base and evil to
clamor for peace in the abstract, when
silence is kept about concrete and hid
eons wrongs done TO humanity at this
very moment Belgium has been tram
! pied into bloody mire Frightful
wrongs have been committed upon the
! men. women and children of Belgium.
The BelEiuns have fought valiantly
against their oppresSorS. Yet this pa :
per you inclose does not contain one
protest against the commission Of such
belgium. and does denounco war in
such fashion as to include in the con-
domination the Belgians just as much
as the oppressors OF Belgium.
we have before us that concrete
case. Let the people who advocate the
platform and principles you inclosed
hold meeting specifically to denounce
the invasion OF Belgium by Germany,
and TO demand that in the interests OF
peace the United States do what II can
TO put stop to those wrongs Let
them denounce Messrs. Wilson and
bryan for trying TO force through the
snip purchase bin, which was in the
interest OF the power that wronged
lleiSiun. and In spite OF the fact that
their action might tend to bring us
INTO war with the powers that have
sought TO defend Belgium.
Let them do something to show that
they mean what they say and that they
are really striving for righteousness
Cntil they do this let every wise and
upright man and woman refuse TO have
anything more to do with a movement
which Is certainly both foolish and
hoNious. which is accompanied by a
peculiarly ignoble abandonment OF ma :
tional duty and which IL successful
would do only harm. and the mere at
tempt TO accomplish which rightly es
poses our people to measureless CON
tempt"