The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-05-29
WE MUST RESORT
TO ARMED FORCE
SAYS N. BUTLER
President of Columbia Uni
versity Addresses Foreign
d Relations Conference

Long Beach, N. Y, May 29.-Char-
acterizing the National Conference on
Foreign Relations of the United States
at which he made the opening adj
dress here last night, as the begin
ming of an educational campaign in
America to develop the international
mind" Nicholas Murray Butler, presi-
dent of Columbia University declared
the world war Is now being fought to
decide II that doctrine shon prevail.
Resort must be had to armed
force" he said, Sin order to deter
mine whether the international mind,
; shared by a score or. more Of indie
pendent and self-respecting nations,
| shall prevail, or whether the arms of
a non-moral, a1l-powerful, military inn
! periafism shall be stretched out over
. the whole round world for it's gov
| eminent and it's protection
President Butler asserted the peo-
. pie of the United States would find
| It unnecessary for some time to come
! to concern themselves with foreign re-
/ lations and foreign policy if the war
was won by imperialism.
: These matters would be taken care
/ of for Them" he said, "by a power
that had shown itself strong enough to
overcome and to suppress the interna-
{ tionly-minded men and nations. On
the other hand, if, as. we confidently
hope and believe, the issue of this war
is to be favorable to the free, self
/ governing democracies of the world,
then the people of the United States
{ must address themselves with redou-
bled energy and with the closest at
tention to those matters of legislation,
of administration, and of general pub
lie policy which constitute and deter
mine national conduct. The first task
of this conference and of every SINH
lar conference that may be held here
after, is to drive this lesson home"
Asserting the international mind re-
quires that "a nation and it's govern
ment shall freely and gladly grant to
every other nation and to every other
government the rights and the privi-
Ieges which it claims for ITSELF" Presi-
dent Butler added:
From this it follows that the inter
national mind is not consonant with
any theory of the state which regards
the state as superior to the rules and
restrictions of moral conduct or which
admits the view that to some one
state is committed the hegemony OF
the worlds affairs for the worlds
good. When that doctrine prevails
and takes hold of the conviction and
the Imagination of great people, ar
issue is presented that cannot be set
tied by vote in conference, that canno
be arbitrated by the wisest statesman
and that cannot be determined b!
the findings of any court. The au
thority and the value Of each of these
modes of procedure is challenged BY
the very issue ITSELF"
President Butler declared the diff
culties confronting the country ''art
not alone difficulties arising from
present lsolk of popular information
and present lack of popular interes
in international politics. but they are
also those which arise from the struc
ture and the operation of our owl
form of constitutional government
I'VE are assembled then" he con
cluded. ito help to begin a movement
which must not cease until the entir,
American people are interested in theil
international Eaiat1onshzps. their in