Evening star., 1923-09-09
Search for Panacea for
War Evil Not Promising
By THOMAS II. MARSHALL.

What ultimately may come out of
Mr.. Boks altruistic idea, backed by
This generosity, is. of course, upon the
knees Of the gods. No one can hope
more fervently than I hope that
some practical plan to promote the
peace of the world will spring from
it. His offer of an award threw the
whole question of world peace into
the arena for discussion by ignorant
and learned alike. and many persons
will no doubt do as did-offer IA
suggestion without any thought Of
contending for Mr.. Bok's prize.
have always been uncertain about
world peace-not uncertain as to it's
desirability, but uncertain as to
whether the normal instincts of man.
kind are ready for peace. and even II
SO, whether those In control OF the
governments of the world would per-
nit world-peacc scheme to go into
effect without a reservation or the
right of an individual nation to start
a row If it felt disposed. My view
expressed in a letter TO Mr.. Box, was
in brief that each nation of the
world enter into an agreement not to
wage war of offense until II had
submitted the question of war To
referendum of its people. My thought
was and is that tho men who do the
lighting and the people who pay the
bills of war are most competent to
pass upon the question of war and en-
titled more than any other class TO
do so. My Views drew much crlti-
cism. some of it rather sharp. but as
yet I have seen no claim that II the
plan was sincerely inaugurated and
honestly kept il would not accomplish
the desired purpose.
= x = =.
No one has ever dreamed of pre-
venting man or a people from
exercising the inherent right OF self
defense, but. unfortunately. the doc
trine of self-dcfense is ever made the
instrument of offcnse. Among nations
1t has been used like the feud amid
families and clans. Self defense is
not always resistance against visible
and threatened assault: too often 1t
is defense against fear touching the
realization OF which in overt action
there has been no assurance. | should
have been quite content il the kaiser
had been put upon his trial as de-
manded by the Versailles treaty. not
that had desire that he be executed.
but in the hope of introducing into
international law new element of
making offensive warfare murder.
and in the hope. further. that an in
THAI could convict or acquit after trial
the leaders of u people who began
an offensive war.
Critics OF my plan condemned il as
impracticahle. too complicated TO be
adopted Some regarded as joke
the thought that the men who do the
fighting and pay the bills should have
anything to say about war. Some
objected on the ground that VIC could
not have fought when the Lusitania
went down. One editor advised me
to continue my search for good
5-cent cigar. That was cruel. for
haven't much more hope of getting
that article than ] have of getting the
peace of the world through treaties,
constitutions conventions or courts.
Here and there some dear old lady
who lost her son in France wrote me
A word OF cheer, but in the main l
was called an idealist. dreamer.
x y =
hope never to reach the time in
life when ! shall cease TO have ideals
of good. think myself an average
American. believe that a man
should be loyal TO his government.
and conceive il TO be the best in the
world for the people who dwell there
under. But he is not educated up 10
the standard of American democracy
who does not consent that a people
have the right TO determine for
themselves the form of government
under which they shall live; and no
one is warranted L. saying, because
he believes that his form is the best
for himself. that. therefore, another
form is worse for others. I cannot
understand how we are going to be
in the world and yet not a part of il.
1t may he that / shall thoroughly
understand II when those who have
to do with our foreign relations COM
Plete their exhaustive two months
study OF European conditions. and re-
turn 70 tell US what should be done.