The Detroit times., 1915-11-25
This Is COuntry's High
est Duty, Boston
Man Declares
SPEAKS BEFORE
COMMERCE. BOARD
Time Is Ripe to Move
for World Peace,
He Thinks

the Board OF Commerce AT the regu-
lar luncheon Tuesday sounded
note OF warning 20 American busi-
ness men on th, af,,r effects Of the
present European war economically.
| The title OF his address was Eco
nomlc effects ot The van and Amer.
ican business. And in Il he recon
mendcd ccuuomi pressure rather
than huge armament as guarantee
Of permanent peace. he sand In part:
American bu mess men are tuuda-
mentally intcre .tcl in the effects OF
this great war. As business men
We cannot falI TO fOreaec tnar IT thiS
war is settled as ali previous wars
| have been, without providing for
some means other than war for deal
! ing with International disputes.
there viii be aGded TO It's enormous
charges The still greater continuous
| charges due 10 rivalry In armamenjs
and other preparations for the next
war or as IL IS commonly referred
10. the next settlement" Under
|
lieve that he European nations, aft
or the war, will be faced with the
insistent need for re.establishing
their industries al almost any sacri-
fice IN order TO keep up in the race
for armamcnts and TO obtain means
for settling their debts so as to
keep their credit good for the next
war.
predictions by students OF affairs
already abound that these neces-
sltics will cause them 10 make sacri
hccs Of natural profits, lower fheir
scale OF living, and so create com
petition OF unCxamplcd severity,
| competition which also would he par
! utulauy ominous for our higher.
wage market that so far has suf-
! fceod least
Increased taxation in the warning
countries may have "a momentous
political result. for the attcmpt to
distribute each taxation i'm man
ner satisfactory To the masses Of the
| people is an attempt hat has often
in The past changed governments. In
any event. all these things indicate
| The possibility OF the growth OF
| revolutionary spirit among the mass
es I'M Europe. with the danger Of
| reaction on certain sections OF
American labor
III a bad settlement and increas
| ing armaments follow tde war, it is
| probable that the United States will
not be free to determine what in
crease IL any she VIII make in her
arIlameuts. but many may be forced
into an abnormally great increase,
with cores ponding taxes and other
burdens
Il have heen4 converted TO Pre-
paredness. by my stuiy Of conditions
since the war began | am there
fore not making n plea against Pre-
parednoss, but only calling attention
lxo dc danger of our being forcedst0
abpormal Increases greater than our
Judgment would warrant. greater
than the best interests of our coun-
try would sanction
Have | seemed to draw an over
pessimist!c picture? II has not been
my intention to do so. My desire
| has been TO point out conservatively
but dcfntel, the conditions that will
probably prevail at the end OF the
wa unless there Is a right settle
ment
we come, therefore. TO the basic
questions. What is a right settle
ment?" How can the United States
help 10 bring about such a settle
ment?" A close study of the history
OF wars and governments will show,
a river flowing southwark between
| high mountain chains will not sur.
denly turn and flow into northern
ocean. and Just so surely, govern.
ments have been tending 20 substi-
tuition Of law for war. Within ma
| tions we have already achieved n.
internationally We must establish it
| " we are 20 nave stable conditions
for the development Of civilization.
| Fort y-fOur of the principal nations OF
the world agreed 10 this in 1907. but
failed 30 agree on the details. With
1
the added compulsiou of the expert.
ence OF this war II seems likely that
now an agreement can be reached.
"The campaign heretofore eor the
substitution OF law for war has been
based so much on sentiment and I'm
practical theories that we business
men are afraid TO approach il as a
practical need and as a practical way
out. Moreover. We are slow 90 see
that. however impossible Il has been
In the past. yet the world has now
reached the stage whore it will he
for the selfish interest OF the war
ing nations TO favor the substitution
Of law for war to the greatest prac-
tical degree. I'm order that they may
avoid the same fate that hefell the
Balkan states when after having won
the victory they made war among
themselves over the terms OF settle
| mont
THE statesmen OF the world, the
internationalists and thinking men OF
| the world. are almost unanimous