The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1920-04-15
HOPE FOR PERMANENT PEACE
These Whs Fought, and Those Who
Suffered At Home, Alike Favor
Some Form 81 League
of Nations.
Article X.
BY FRANK coMERFoRp.

Inc terfIDle WASTE was tellIng. En-
durance had reached the breaking
point. With peace one thought ran
around the world: There must be NJ
more war. The men who did the fight
ing said il ioudest.
I'm glad 1 had chance to do my
part--I wouldn't have missed the
show for q million dellsrs, and |
wouldn't take a million dollars To go
through u again." r. the way they
put II. Everywhere IN Europe heard,
at is ever. it is finished. thznk God"
The frst thought Of reconstruction
was a plan to make peace permanent.
The laboratory sed the machine
shop gave 20 this war terrible mean
Ing, new agencies had been intro
ducea to XIII and main men. liquid
bombs frem the clouds. torpedoes from
the sea depths. The world was hor-
rifled. The length of the war, the
number OF dead and crippled, the raid.
ing and bombiBg OF defenseless cities
taught the world that an end must
he put to war II civilization was to
live.
So the people. particularly the work
ing people. took heart when League
OF Nations was suggested as means
of enforcing peace. They placed their
hopes in it, They had suffered most
from the war. The dead were large
ly their dead The returning cripples
-
put It, they were from their class.
OF course the sons of the other class
fought. shared the hardShips. paid the
price. but they were few. The group
from which they came is small. while
the toll of casualties from labor's
ranks was large.
All men know that controversies
between notions are inevitable. In
the absence of some scheme OF arhi-
tration there is but one way that these
controversies can be settled. 1t is
fOrce-War.
II is not uncommon for individuals
10 have serious differences of opinion.
Every lawsuit, ard there are thousands
OF them in every city OF every country.
represents a difference Of opinion. II
we did not have courts providing n
peaceful determination OF these dis
putes, the litigants would be com
PEELED 10 settle their differences by
force. Assault and battery would
succeed orderly procedure. Nations
have been without a peaceful means
OF adjusting their difficulties, and as
a consequence they have been COM
PEELED TO resort TO force. Until some
scheme Of arbitration is created. to
talk peace Is to waste words, to hope
for II is idle dreaming.
Peace Conference Fell Short.
The peace conference met in Paris.
Labor watched IL. At an early stage
In Its proceedings intrigue was dis
covered at work. Wrangllng. bicker-
Ing. bargaining and trading for COM
mercial advantage occupied the time
and thought that the world expected
would be devoted 10 the building up Of
a league that would at least decrease
the chances of future wars. States
men in their blind devotion TO ex-
son for the conference. They talked
of boundary lines. discussed frontiers,
and always from the point Of view Of
financial and military advantage TO
their respective countries. 1t was no.
ticed that the territories over which
they quarreied were rich in minerals
or some other thing OF great CONNER
cial advantage. They squabbled over
spoils. Their, too. these men who
were supposed to he concerned In >the
future peace OF the world. in arguing
over frontiers urged their respective
claims on the grounds that their re-
spective countries needed these from
tiers TO make them secure In future
wars. What future wars and why the
discussion Of future wars az a confer
ence. the object or which was future
peace?
Working men watched. listened and
thought. They construed these bick-
erings and wranglings as evidence OF
the fact that there Is an interest I'm
the world which does not believe in
giving mp force. am only reporting
the truth when add they suspect this
interest Is Capital.
II the League OF Nations fails this
suspicion will he confirmed The
movement toward an internationalism
Of the workers will he given great
impetus. The League Of Nations fail
ing. they argue there Is only one other
means OF preventing war. 1t Is for
the men who make UP the rank and
Ale of the armies in time of war, the
millions recruited from shops, fac
tories and fields, TO get together and
organize an international labor au-
thority 10 save the working men from
war. Such movement would take
away from governments an important