Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-12-10
TAFT ASKS SUPPORT OF
COMMERCE CHAMBER
[Continued From First Page.l

an effort to mould public opinion both
! in this country and abroad, in favor
of league of the great powers, who
shall agree not to go to war in any
case, until the question has been pass
ed upon judicially, the nations agree
ing also to use their joint military
and economic forces against any ma
ton refusing to keep the pact.
Mr.. Taft refers particularly to the
referendum of the Chamber of Com
merce of the United States of America
on the report of that body'S special
committee on Economic Results of
the War and American Business" :"
This referendum will come up shortly
for consideration on the part of the
businessmen here who are members
of the Harrisburg Chamber of Com
merce.
Mr.. Taft's Letter
Mr.. Taft's request is made at this
time, It was explained yesterday, in
view of the fact that the referendum
in question outlines plan for world
peace, almost identical with that con-
tanned in the proposals of the League
to Enforce Peace, which was organ
lied by Mr.. Taft, President A. Law
renee Lowell, OF Harvard University,
and other men of nation wide promi-
nence at Philadelphia in Independence
Hail. last June. Mr.. Taft who is
president of the league, writes as fol-
lows:
The friendly reference made
to the platform of the League to
Enforce Peace on page four of
Referendum No. II of the Cham
ber of Commerce of the United
States of America seems to the
officers of the league TO create a
natural occasion for calling it to
your personal attention, and to
that of your members.
At the same time | want to eX-
tend very cordial invitation to
you, and through you to the
members of your organization,
to join the league and to cooper
ate with 1t as actively as you are
able in the organization that is
about to be undertaken In your
State.
The irremediable injury that
would result to the whole world
in case q way should not be found
at the close OF the European con-
f1ict, to make war less threatening
and to render it less frequent has
induced a considerable number
of leaders In the. realms both of
statesmanship and of business to
combine in an effort to create
sentiment in our own and other
countries, in favor of the pro-
posals that were put forward at
Ine Pnllauelpnla conference.
The obvious and urgent need
that led the committee of the
chamber to draw up its admirable
I report and the Board of Direc-
tors to authorize it's submission.
is an eloquent argument in favor
of a combined effort to do all
which human ingenuity and de-
votion can, to prevent the re-
currence of such catastrophe as
the world is now experiencing
Proposals to Enforce Peace
The proposals of the League to En-
force Peace, referred to in Mr. Taft's
communication, which were adopted
at the Independence Hall meeting of
international law through a series of
international conferences contain no
provision for enforcing the verdict Of
the arbitrators. Under the proposed
plan any nation that is dissatisfied
with the decree may go to war with
out fear of adverse action on the part
of the league.
1t is understood that the referendum
of the Chamber of Commerce was sub
mitted as the result of the active in
| terest of Herbert s. Houston, we'll
| known as a leader among advertising
men. and Edward A. Filene, head OF
the Filene stores in Boston, Mass.