Evening star., 1915-06-16
Text of His Statement.

SI.
Text of His Statement.
Mr.. Bryan's statement Is as follows:
IT shall tomorrow discuss the origin
of the war and the reasons which led
| the nations of Europe to march, as II
| blindfolded, into the bloody conflict
which now rests like a pail over the
let us consider the war as 1t Is and the
injury it Is doing to the neutral ma
tions.
| the populations represented in the
number of combatants in the field. In
daily expenditures, in the effectiveness
of the implements employed, In the
lists of dead and wounded. in the wide
spread suffering caused and In the IN
tensity of the hatreds aroused.
"No class or condition is exempt from
the burdens which this war imposes:
the rich bear excessive taxation and
the poor are sorely oppressed; the re-
sources of today are devoured and the
No are is immune. The first draft was
upon the strong and vigorous. but the
governments are already calling for
those above and below the ordinary
enlistment zone.
War Is Felt by All.
"The wars Affections are visited
upon wives who await in vain a hus-
bands return and upon mothers who
must surrender up the sons whose sup
mort is the natural reliance of declining
wears. Even children are its Victims
children innocent of wrong and inca
pable of doing harm. BY wars dread
decree babes come into the world ia
therless> at their birth, while the bodies
Of their sires are burned like worth
t. hn Aa1d h n n
the grim reaper has passed.
The most extreme illustrations col
lected from history to prove the loath-
someness of war are overshadoWed by
new indictments written daily; the
most distressing pictures drawn by the
Imagination are surpassed by the real
ities of this indescribable contest.
Surely we behold the pestilence that
walketh in darkness and the destruc-
tion that wasteth at MONDAY.
Interest in United States.
Neutral nations cannot look on with
indifference-thet ties that bind them to-
gether are too strong, the relationship
too intimate. This is especially true of
the United States. We htve compo-
site population-every nation of En-
rope having contributed literally to our
citizenship.
"These. our countrymen, themselves
born abroad or Immediately descended
from foreign born ancestors, cannot
but take a lively interest in the con-
duct as well as In the results of the
war. and a still larger circle shares the
concern of those directly connected.
Not a soldier falls on either side but
the sorrow expressed in his home finds
| an echo at some fireside in the United
States.
put aside from sentimental consid-
disturbance because of the war. Duel
| lists, when dueling was in fashion. were
| careful to select place where they
| could settle their personal differences
without harm to unoffending bystand.
| ers, but warning nations cannot, no
matter how earnestly they try, avoid
injury to neutrals. As the nauseous
odors of slaughter house. carried on
the breeze, pollute the air in every
direction. SO the evil influences eman-
atinR from these wide extended battle
fields taint the atmosphere of the whole
political world. War is an internation-
al nuisance.
Nearly every neutral nation finds
new domestic problems thrust upon 1t
and old problems made more difficult.
War Issues Enter Politics.
NO American citizen can note with
out deep concern the manner in which
war questions have intruded themselves
into our politics-overshadow eco
nomic Issues and stimulating agitation
in favor of enlarged appropriations for
military and naval purposes.
business is deranged and expensive
readjustments made necessary, while
commerce with foreign nations is seri-
ously interrupted. Fluctuations in
| price abroad are reflected in the mar
| kets of the United States. A fall of
cent in the price of cotton means tens
of millions of dollars to our producers
| and merchants. Added to this freight
| rates and insurance premiums have
| been increased to cover the greater
| risks incident to war.
Scarcity Of ships is one OF the great
| est commercial embarrassmcnts caused
by the war. We have depended largely
! upon foreign ships to carry our com
| merce and we could not but suffer
when the merchantmen OF one side
were driven from the sea and q part
Of the merchant fleet of the other side
was withdrawn from government use
| Neutrals Always in Danger.
THE neutral nations are put to a
great expense to preserve neutrality
and are constantly in danger of being
embroiled in the war without intention
| or fault on their part.
| 1.-The rules Of International law seen
to have been made for the nations af
war rather than for the nations at
peace. 1t is almost impossible to alter
these rules during the war. because
any material change. affecting as it