New Britain herald., 1919-01-14

StOr H. G. Lodges Union
FComm encen7 emit Address
June 9.At9t5.)
Bhould show the worId that de
FAcy, government by the people,
kkes for peace, in contrast to the
3Oyernment of a military autocracT
(which makes for war We should
Sdem onstrate this by our conduct, by
Justice in our dealings with other ma
tons by readiness 10 make any
sacrifices for the right and stern re
fusal to do wrong; by deeds, not
words. and finally by making the
whole world understand that while
we seek no conduests we are able to
repel any aggression or invasion from
| without for the very reason that we
! love peace and mean to maintain it.
! We should never forget that If de
mocracy is not both able and ready
! to defend itself, it will go dowa III
subsection before military aut OCraCN
! because the latter is then the more
! efficient We must bear constantly in
mind that from the conflict which
now convulses the world there may
possibly come events which would
force us to fight with all our strength
! to preserve our freedo our demo-
! cracy. and our national life. But this
! concerns ourselves and will have Only
/ the sIow-m owing influence Of exam
pie. What can be done now?
What can we DO in the large sense
| iowa rd securing and maintaining the
peace Of the world ? This is a much
more difficult question, but turn it
! back and forth as we may there is no
escape from the proposition that the
Il ,I,,f., i
! only as the peace and order of A
single com mu0itN are maintained as
| the peace Of T, single Ma ton is main
| tanned, by the force which united ma
lions are willing to put behind the
| peace and order of the world. Ma
| lions must unite as men unite in or
| der to preserve peace and order. The
great nations must be so united as to
/ be able to say to any single country
| YOU must not go to war, and they can
only say that effectively when the
country desiring war knows that the
force which the united nations place
| behind peace is irresistible
We have done something in ad-
vancing the settlement by arbitration
| OF many minor questions which in
former times led to wars and reprs-
| a Is. although the points Of difference
were essentially insignificant but as
! human nature is at present consti-
tuted and the world is at present
managed there are certain questions
which no nation would submit Volun-
| tarily to the arbitration Of any trib~
unal, and the attempt to bring such
questions within the jurisdiction of an
arbitral tribunal not only fails in its
purpose, but discrcdits arbitration
| and the treaties by which the impos-
sible is attempted. In differences be-
! tween individuals the decision Of the
! court is final, because in the last re-
| sort the entire force Of the commune
! ity is behind the court decision. In
! differences between nations which 20
beyond the limited range of arb1trable
! Tuestions peace can be maintained
only by putting behind it the force Of
/ united nations determined to uphold
| it and to prevent war.
No one is more conscious than 7 of
the enormous difficulties which beset
such solution or such a scheme, but
if we are to pass beyond the limits
of voluntary arbitration, it is in this
direction alone that we can find hope
! for the maintenance of the worlds
peace and the avoidance of needless
wars. It may we'll be that II Is i'm
possible, that We cannot go beyond
t \oIunCHF AfbttfaLlOH. IN en- II we
could esta such a union OF ma
tons, there would be some wars that
could not be avoided, but there might
certainly be others which could be
| prevented
1t may be easily said that this idea.
! is not a new one, is impractical BILE,
but it is better than the idea that
war can he stopped by language. by
speech-making, by vain agreements
which no one would carry out when
the stress came. by denunciations Of
war and laudations of peace, in
which al men agree: for these meth
DDS are not only impra cticable, but
impossible and barren of all hope or
| real result.
It may seem Utopian at this mo-
ment to suggest union Of civilized
nations in order to put a controlling
force behind the maintenance OF
peace and International order, but II
is through the aspiration for perfec-
ton, through the search for ttOpiaS,
that the real advances have been
made. At all events. il is al long this
path that we must travel If we arc
to attain in any measure TO the end
we al desire of peace upon earth. 1t
is at least a great, humane purpose
to which. il these days of death and
! suffering. Of misery and sorrow
among SO large a portion Of mankind,
we might well dedicate ourselves.