Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-01-08
BY THOMAS n. MARSHALL.
Former Vice President OF the
United States.

w VAR has no justification
M save that which may be
" " pleaded in an individual
homicide, namely, self
defense. This Is my fixed opinion.
But / note evidences at the pres
ent time in the conduct and opin-
ions Of men that might lead a
philosophio soul to ponder over the
relative value Of a human life and
a minted dollar. to consider
whether organized society. as a
whole. Is richer with many men
and cowardly dollars or fewer men
and courageous dollars.
1t has long been supposed that
It requires sentient life In order to
understand what fear is. Much
time has been wasted in trying to
define the most cowardly man.
The last survey pointed to the
man who insisted that his wife
when on q search of the house for
burglars. But the condition OF the
world since the close OF the war
must convince mankind that to
whatever depths OF coWardice a
human may sink, he still remains
on subiime heights beside the cow
** So
Long ago 1t was recognized that
the dollar neither loved nor hated.
But 1t is only recently that we
have fully apprehended how ut
terly timid, shrinking and fearful
the dollar Ia. During the war it
had courage unmeasured. 1t for
got itself and with man made the
supreme sacrifice in the cause of
human liberty. 1t sat by every
over the top in every night attack.
1t committed suicide in every
bursting shell. Neither danger nor
fear could deter 1t from the dis
charge OF its duty. Money-grub-
bling America and money grubbed
BY Americans were the worlds old
How different now In these pip
ing times Of peace. The dollar
once again 10 timid, vacillating.
fearful Of itself and uncertain as
to its mission. 1t shrinks like a
schoolgirl. 1t does not care to be
q condemned criminal with a death
watch at the door. ! am not ready
to consent to the loss Of another
human life in order to put courage
and q backbone into the dollar.
but ! am fearful that II 1t does not
brace UP and enlist in the army of
lost.
have always been q believer in
the separation Of government and
business. l have never thought
that governments were ordained
among men to teach them what
they should eat, what they should
drink. wherewithal they should
clothe themselves or in what BUSH
ness they should engage. l have
conceived that the full measure of
the duty Of government was dis
charged when 1t gave to the in
dividuai a free field and a fair
fight. and took upon itself the
duties of referee in seeing that one
man did not take undo advantage
of another. 1 have thought that
while government should not help.
neither should it hinder its citi-
zens In the contest for business
supremacy.
There would be less Justification
for the constant interference of
government in the business affairs
OF its citizens IL the dollar would
only brace up. Like all towards. 1t
strikes unfair blows and resorts
to subterfuges. Its practices have
made the government impatient
and caused 1t to interfere.
1t is no use to advise men 70
take courage in their good right
hands and 60 out and conquer the
world while the dollars in their
pockets are crying out to them:
Take care. beware, there are pit
We have heard SO much the last
three years about bankrupt
world that we actually believe the
world to be bankrupt. Statisticians
have made estimates of what the
various countries could realize for
all their property il there were a
medium Of exchange to enable
them to dispose of it. and they
have collated the statistics of the
Indebtedness of those countries as
evidenced by their circulating me-
dunn. bonds and other loans. And
then they have proceeded to show
what the Indebtedness is with
reference to the exchange value
OF the property Of the country.
They show. that if the British
empire could exchange all its
property for cash or its eQuiva-
lent 1t would take 20 per cent to