New-York tribune., 1918-02-22

a democratic confidence which will set
tho world free.
II have regarded the great war, and
regard 1T now more than ever, as :;
W>r brought about by economic and
dynamic illusions-as a tragedy of DO
llt'ral errors and rambling misunder-
standings. rather than stern conflict
between right and wrong. or even be
tween lrreconciIablc philosophers Of
government or of life. 10 mc it has long
been a sclf~cvidcnt proposition that
from the point of view Of every bcllir-
crcnt people the present way is a war
of national defence. 1t is ONLY upon
this plea that the people will support
war. Not believing that national dc
1chcc is the issue, can not, VIII not
paruclpatc IN an aggressive military
understanding against a pcoplcowhosc
cardinal sin Is a peculiar and DANGER
GUS attitude Of mind tortured into cx
lStehcc by lnordinatc dread Of the very
disaster which our mcnacing advance
must seem to them 20 hasten eco
nomlc rum and national humiliation.
War Is Futile, lie Says
ut is of no constructive value TO rc
call the atrocous crimes with which tho
past is stained; they are the loath
some fruit of war. Those who arc moro
ih'ercstcd in making war than in max
lhG peace VIII dwell upon these things.
~ ~ ia no business OF minc by whom the
Ncf'i'"h people or any other wish to be
governed. Leffersonian democracy is
uoI 4 loim OF government so inherent
~ superior that |. who accept it AS thc
safest, if not the best, of political
covenants, dare to demand its accent
aicc by another people as a prercul,i
sue TO peace. But it is very much NV
concern that the German people shoulJ
pe prought, speedily as possible. into
relations with that international com
munity Of opinion and consent Of which
they arc an indispensable part It is
,ruc that IN order to participate in that
larger community they must be mas
Ce'S IN thelr own house. To make war
dEa'hst them. boWever. is to furthcr
neither the one nor the other object
hercforc, although | am for Amer
'ca without reservation of anv kind
ana passlonatcly desire to sec her n.o.
srahmc OF emancipation accepted and
Gu orccd by voluntary and co0pcratiyc
e"ot!' am not Tor the war and must
~ ~ 'ahc part In 1T. Indeed. believe
1nd' ~ II Is continued much longer the
- :; W aVloh cVcryW here, and particularly
IN germany, will become so cmbittcrcI
ana so desperate that it shall nm
inapplly be impossible to convert Tho
icutonlc peoples to AN enlightened in
'ernat'onal compromise and trust. ~,
TO lead them from their spiritual inn
pIlSohment into partnership with civil
lzatlon beyond their frontiers.
- or II the day ever comes when tho
central Empires determine to remain
armed, aloof and cmbittered. that da,.
America will 90 down to defeat. and
WITH her viii fade the Russian dream
ana the light which is already silverin~
the hills. '''' q ing
"Finally, Mr. Secretary, there has
heen too much thinking done in terms
OF the state and not enough in terms
vi 'he relations OF individual men and
women, everywhere dependent mon
each other for the creation of wealth
and OF life. There arc some thinrs
"nich even the state may not require
OF inc lndlvldual; and one Of them this
slalc mas sought to require of me. It
would be as dlshonorablc as it would
be unWlsc for me to allow myself 10
be sent to place where the ordinary
expression OF such opinions as ere CON
tanned IN this letter would be repardcd
as heresy and dealt with as seditiou.
;. One cannot enter the army and be-
llevc in peace without victory aftor
'hc manner OF the President last Jam
uary; yet | believe in that formula
no less now than then as the most
patriotic thought of my life. Should
l now submit moreover. it would be
TO compromise the integrity of nv
thought and to violate that ideal Of
creative life which hold free and
sacred. Freedom itself. as it seems to
me, may be won after the subiugation
OF matter only through the determina
ton Of a sufficient number Of indiyid
uals everywhere to refuse uncritjcal
allegiance and to forbid unlimited au-
thorlty TO any human institution
State or Church, family, race or fetich
have been eager to serve the ma
uoh IN any constructive way. partic-
ularfy IN any effort to dispe misunder-
standing. to mitigate suffering, to de-
feat lndiVldual and corporate greed or
20 assist IN erecting upon a liberal
basis that structure Of ordered inter
national society for which we have
entered the war and assembled such =
mllltary force as the Republic has
never before seen.
III the government continues to re-
fuse alternative service of a non.mjl
itary character which | can accent
must endure the consciousness Of NV
decision and rely implicitly upon tho
civilized behavior of the authorities
who will discover in my case at least,
tAe waste and futility of applying force
where persuasion fails. am. sir. vcr,
respectfully.
"BHEAT DOW ATKINSON.
II