Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1920-10-29
ROOTS PHILOSOPHICAL AN
ARCHY.

In his Carnegie Hall speech attack
ing Article X. of the covenant of the
League of Nations, Mr.. Root said that
the world cannot be made "peace-
able by compulsion, that the mere
opposition of force to force involves
no progress toward better things,
that the only line Of progress is
through the growth of the moral
qualities that make for peace"
This is the doctrine of the phil
osophical Anarchists applied to in
ternational relations. 1t is thus that
the philosophical Anarchist reason
about all government. They oppose it
because it means force, and they hold
with Mr.. Root that "the mere oppo-
sition of force to force involves no
progress toward better things" All
progress must come through the
growth of the moral qualities"
Rightly understood, Mr.. Roots
theory is beautiful theory, but it
has little practical application to the
political affairs of mankind, Does
Mr.. Root himself really believe in it?
Would he apply it to government in
geneal?
For example, would Mr.. Root object
to the maintenance of Police De-
patment on the ground that the mere
opposition of the force of the COM
munity against the force of the Grim
inal involves mo progress toward
better things? Would we have gov
ernment abdicate in the face of \
mob because the only line of prog
ress is through the growth of the
municipalities that make for peace?
Would he refuse to put force be-
hind the decisions of the courts
Would he refuse to take action
against a burglar who had robbed
his apartment, for the reason that
"the world cannot be made good,
moral and peaceable by compulsion?
If so, then we understand the ma
ture of Mr.. Roots opposition to Ar
ticle Y. On any other basis it is mere
ly the argument of shrewd lawyer
engaged in bemuddling the jury.
AS Mr.. Root well knows, the COW
enant of the League of Nations is
not the expression of anybody's
theory about the maintenance of
peace. 1t is the product of the world
practical experiences since June %,
1914, since which time civilization
has been devastated by the worst
war in all its history. Just as the
Constitution of the Unitel States
grew out of the practical experience
of the American people with the
problems of government during the
Revolution and under the Confedcra-
ton, so this covenant grew out of
the situation that plunged the world
into war. 1t is the attempt of men
, who had personal experience of that
/ situation to prevent its recurrence.
MIR. Root offers nothing that would
prevent recurrence except an ap-
peal to the growth of moral qualities.
! The Austro Hungarian Government
knew as much as Mr.. Root knows
about moral qualities when it sent
its ultimatum to Serbia, and the Ger
man Government knew equally as
much about moral qualities when its
troops crossed the Belgian frontier.
Mr.. Roots definite remedy for that
state of things is to sit down and
wait for moral qualities to develop
in the misguided Governments that
have set forth on a programme of
conquest and impealism. If that is
the only remedy, the world has
wasted 100000 lives and $500, G00,-
100000 in property and productivity
about something that should have