Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1921-10-17
IRWIN |l|'|I|i|!||| LAU.DS
! Peace PARLEY
Famous Journalist Speaking
at Methodist Church
Calls it Vital to
v Humanity.
DESCRIBES NEXT WAR
People Favor Peace and
Must Force ENJOYS to
Vote for It.
DESCRIBES NEXT WAR

Eli lIlitSlLluS, lllt llippl NtliiNN VI VI
coming armament conference and as
sorting that the people do not wan
another war, Will Irwin, war CORES
pendent, journalist. and student OF al
fairs. speaking in the Methodist churc
Friday evening, declared that all dele
gates TO the conference will see hoy
little they can give to satisfy the pop
ular clamor and the only thing to d
is let these representatives know tina
they must do what the people wan
Gone or lose votes America, he says
holds the whip hand.
w. +. Cole introduced the speaker
!, The Next War.
Mr.. Irwin's lecture, "The Next War,
given as belatcd closing number o.
the lecture course of last year, drew
lecture, nor an address or an ora
ton. Leaning comfortably across tho
altar, or standing with his hands thrust
deep in his pockets, Mr.. Irwin talked
of the effects of the last war and OF
the preparations for the next. Though
emphatic, he did not grow dramatic
and the entire talk was among us
girls" as the speaker himself described
it. His voice was bit husky because
he was among those present when
the Germans introduced poison gas Us
an implement Of war in 1915.
Arms Conference Vital.
Mr.. Irwin began his talk by dcclar-
ing the coming disarmament conference
of vital Importance to humanity He
traced the social history OF warfare
from the early days of Babylon up
through the last great conflict. showing
how. from time to time, rules have been
made protecting civilians and aomen,
rules which were ignored by both sides
early in the world war during which
the killing of women and civilians be-
came logical object of both belliger-
cnts
Improved Ways of Killing.
He dwelt at length on the improve
ment in the business OF killing. lie
described the famous German gas at
tack at Yprcs, April %. 1915, pointing
cut that this was significant date
because it showed the introduction OF
science into warfare.
:. 1.-THE only way military men had de-
vised TO kill soldiers was to hit them
. with something hard,'' he said. Here
brains stepped in and showed there
were other ways to do the job better.
The speaker described the killing OF
100000 men in the last conflict as
Il retail proposition, declaring that
science had now been modified to de-
wise new means of polite butcllery to
40 the job wholesale.
Science Takes a Hand.
Use of fatal gases. OF light rays anu
even of bacilli warfare has now be-
come an art. So far has the science
Of killing advanced, he says, that ma
mons will no longer declare way, be-
cause to do so would be to bring about
defeat.
"Thc next war will burst" Mr.. IT.
win declared land the next night the
capital of one side will be a great
mausOleum.'
Discussing. the consequences OF the
last conflict and of the system OF con
scription which has now come to stay,
the speaker said: "The last war was
the greatest piece of reverse breeding
-Ahe world has ever seen" he explain
ed the fall of war-like nations OF the
epast to the fact that the best manhood
of the country was killed OH the flelds
cDf brittle, leaving those who were UNI
fit to fight to have the children.
AS material argument against war,
Mr.. Irwin pointed out that the debt
from the conflict just ended was $50
OG0, 100000.
France is half mortgagcd,' he said.
"And the next war will be more cost
l."
He showed figures of expenses ncccs-
sary to carry on another great war To
be so staggering that even military
forces are turning pacifist.
1T is ridiculous" he said, "and II
humanity is going on it has got to
stop
Cheerboys Want War.
Speaking of the coming armament
conference, he declared that its sue
cess or failure rests with the people Oh
America. Politicians, Mr.. Irwin said
do not favor it because war is srea'
instrument for the politicians.
There are more cheers in Pickett
charge" he said, than in whole port
folio of economic measures"
America holds the whip hand III
this conference" he said, land we STAND
convicted before God if we do not force
those who represent us. TODD our viii.
ShuHs Empire Dream.
He closed with an appeal to Ameri-