The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-05-26
ARMIES AND NAVIES
BACK OF IPLOMACY
When Vital Interests Are a
Stake Are Potential Forces,
Says Straus.

aSAAAN9AOGNs way SO@OsCAt -.
Strauss. former ambassador to Tur-
key. speaking today at the first an
nual assemblage OF the League to
Enforce Peace on Preparedness
against the Re-barbarization of the
World" said in part:
It is mistake to believe that
armies and navies lie useless when
not engaged in war. AS matter Of
TACT armies and navies are the po-
tential forces behind diplomacy whom
vital interests are at stake and their
potentially is in the ackground and
often the controlling factors in obvi-
ating the development OF conditions
that lead to war or that project ra-
tons into war, even at times against
their own will.
Let us not deceive ourselves by
failing to see that this war has lie.
loose throughout the world the spirit
OF conquest. the hunger for territory
and the rivalry for domination on
land and sea. Even our efforts to
maintain our neutrality instead of
making for us friends have made us
envicd, distrusted, and by some ma
lions hated. But entirely apart from
the menace Of oreign attack, IL we
are to be an effective influence either
now or hreafter in the promotion or
maintenance Of the peace Of the
world. the measure Of our influence
will certainly not be in proportion to
our weakness but In proportion to
our available strength. 1t Is said by
some that to enlarge our naval and
military forces will OF itself be a
provocative Of war in that 1t will
prompt the spirit Of militarism. This
Is true where ornaments are piled UP
for the sake Of domination or of con-
quests, but ornaments for defense
subordinated as they always must
be under our form OF government to
the civil power-are not the pro-
moters Of militarism but bulwark
for the maintenance of the reign OF
law and of justice and for the secur-
ity of all those ideals which constt-
tute the elements Of enlightened and
progressive civilization.
The Hague Peace Plans.
It Is quite the vogue now to refer
with ridicule to the two Hague con-
ferences and to the efforts made to
avert the catastrophe toward which
Europe was so rapidly drifting. The
tendencies were in two Numerically
opposite directions which have been
graphically described as Utopia or
He'll. If the pacifists, who animated
and encouraged their governments to
participate In the peace conferences
at The Hague in 1899 and 1907 and
who looked with hopefulness upon
the results that would follow, have
met with disappointment, certainly
they have not fallen further away
from the realization OF their ideals
than have the militarists in the con-
dition of hopelessness and remote
ness of results they aimed speedily
to achieve by the war, which now en-
CULTS the world. In other words, the
failure Of the militarists has certain
ly been as decisive and infinitely
more appalling than has been the
failure of the peace advocates in
achieving their end.
This world war is distinct proof
that neither pacifism without might
nor might-unless dominated by
right-can be effectual in securing a
permanent peace.
a League OF NatlOnS.
Many plans have been devised but
no one in my judgment has laid a
better foundation for international
peace than the one that has been
adopted by the League to Enforce
Peace. Herbert Spencer in his
principles of Sociology" some thirty
years ago stated: IA federation of
the highest nations exercising SUI
preme authority, may by forbidding
wars between any OF its constituent
nations, put an end to the rebarbar-
ization which is continually threat
ening civilization" Some such plan
was recommended by Sir Edward
Grey and proposed by him to Ger
many as a safeguard against aggres-
sion on the part Of the Triple En-
tente, on July 80, 1914. The pro-
posal was embodied in telegram to