The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1916-12-05
TRfVfLYAN PLEADS
FOR PEACE CAUSE
British Statesman Says People
Are Tired of War
WOULD WELCOME SETTLEMENT
OF EUROPEAN STRUGGLE
Draws Sad Picture of Conditions Re-
sulting From Wnr-Urges Good Of
fices of President.

ficeS OF President.
WASHINGTON-C Charles P. Trevely-
an, the famous writer and statesman
of Great Britain, has sent to this
country by hand-messenger to be de-
livered to President Wilson the fol-
lowing remarkable open letter which
has been given to the American Neu
trail Conference Committee, whose OBJ
iect is to urge our government to mer-
late through a conference of neutral
nations and to support the President
in any effort for peace, for publica-
ton:
Mr.. Trevelyan is one of the leaders
of the international movement in Eng
land. He is in the House of Commons
and when the war broke out he resign
ed from the government with Lord
Morley and John Burns. He is one of
the founders of ehUnion of Demo-
cratic control and has spoken con-
stantly, in spite of unpopularity, in
favor of a negotiated peace. He has
deprecated the cult of hatred during
the war, has resisted conscription, and
has defended the freedom of speech
anu WIlIllS III 0ISdl
He has made a speech in the House
Of/Commons calling attention to Presi-
Znt Wilson's readiness to help in a
/eague of Peace, which was listened
10 with great interest and evoked from
Mr.. Lloyd George half apology FOR
his reputation of American mediation
Mr.. Trevelyan's open letter is rs fol-
lows:
The relative strength of America
grows as the vitality of Europe is eb-
bing away 1t is not the loss of money
and of credit 1t is not only the waste
and desolation of provinces during the
war and the economic catastrophies
and political upheavals which will
everywhere follow in it's wake. It is
not only the millions of dead and the
manned among the young men. But
it is the complete collapse of the old
I. national standards. Three years ago
\no Englishmen would have believed
Mat even the stress of a great war
Would make it impossible to know the
truth about the failure or success OF
military or diplomatic efforts of the
government; that news would be Of
ficially suppressed and garbled that
newspapers would print just what
government censors told them ard no
more Nor would anyone here nave
believed three years ago that nearly
two thousand Englishmen would have
been imprisoned for conscientious re-
fusal of military service, some of them
condemned to death, and only respited
at the last moment, and many bullied
and tortured by the military These
things and many others are the price
of war like this. After the war ty-
ranny and militarism may possibly be
burnt up in the wrath of instructive
noDular reaction in Germany and IN
Great Britain But in Germany they
will cling with fierce tenacity to their
old strongholds and in Bratain to then
new found opportunity. 1t is in this
struggle that the profound effect OF
America may be felt with its unbrok-
Ell traditions of liberty, its existing
democratic success its faith in peace
n If in these things it remains faithful
it will not only secure its own i'm
mense destiny, but remain beacon tc
the old nations in the hour of theii
agony and despair.
For the first time a responsible Brit
ish statesman openly avowed his be-
lief in a prolonged war of attrition
Coming Immediately after the gravity
of the British losses on the Somm'
had begun to give the British public
some notion of what q war of attri
tion meant to them, many moderate
n supporters of the war have begun t
Xthink seriously whether it is not TIM
SQr the government to formulate it
1tal objective and see how nearly tn
Germans are prepared to meet them
If / were asked to briefly define tn
attitude of the mass of my country
men | should say that they are heart
lily sick of the war; that they are no
aware of the WEAKNESS of the German
and the willingness of the German gov
ernment to negotiate, and that conse
uuently they regard peace as hopeles
and therefore are not yet prepared Il
advocat it. But if once it were brough
to the consciousness of ordinary Eng
lishmen that Germany were ready 70
reasonable peace to abjure her con
quests and above all to evaucate ant
help to compensate Belgium. rapi
and radical change would appear II
popular opinion. My countrymen d.
not yet see-but they will if you ar
persistent-that your approval of tn
League of Peace amounts to American
.Ncooperation in objects for whicl
they profess to be fighting-a secur
civilization Sooner or later your es