Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-06

7 HAVE never abused the Senate OF the
United States. No sign of gratitude have
| ever had from any of these SO gentle
men for this extraordinary treatment.
Extraordinary it is Everybody except my
self abuses the Senate. 1t turned down Ameri-
can participation in the League of Nations, to
the edfcation of all mankind. 1t prevents the
United States tangling itself up in treaties,
understandings and complications of the bal
anCe OF power description. 1t makes the
United States different" i'll the world Of in
ternationaI affairs. Americas representatives
abroad never represent her. What the Presi-
dent signs today the Senate revokes tomorrow.
The New World would not be half such fresh
world if it were not for the Senate.
X X x
Lately the scOlding of the Senate has broken
out with revived bitterness. At Geneva some
body from America agreed to a treaty against
the use of poison gas in warfare, n very silly
and mschievous treaty from many points or
view The Senate cast it out. Embittered
dealists declare that this is due to lobbying
by the American chemical industries Why the
American chemical industries should not lobby
upon a question of this sort passes my compre-
tension They know about it. Why should all
the arrangements for the warfare OF the future
be left to the gold-lace gentlemen who pose as
military experts?
The Senate has saved poison gas for war
fare. | hope the Senate will continue to stand
for every sort of disagreeahle novelty In war
fare. l hope the Senate will save disease germs
for warfare and make a stand about poisoning
the water supply. Let war be war and not
merely a tedious, cruel game under rules The
more various, open. perpleXing and unpleasant
the available methods of warfare are to profess
sional soldiers, the less likely the world is to
get another large and deliberate war
X * :; X
Let us consider how fresh wars are most
likely to arise and what classes of people lean
most heavily toward There can be little
dispute that the enormous majority OF human
beings nowadays hates and breads the idea of
war: that most financial interests have become
chary of using it's possibility threat in the
game of wealth acquisition; and that industrial
ism and trade contemplate extensive out
break unalloyed disaster. Little bullying,
punitive and eXpository wars against small and
uncivilized peoples may still appeal to powerful.
groups exploiting natural resources, but even
these minor affairs seem to evoke a greater dis
taste than they used to do. The war-makers
who are trying to force Britain into hostilities
with China and the United States into a Next
can adventure, are meeting with an extremely
stiff opposition. Half century ago, both adj
ventures would have gone with click
The minority which favors war is very large
ly the professionally belligerent class. officers,
their womenkind and every sort of person who
upon occasion wears uniform and a sword and
is entitled to salute. Statutes ten times
more intoxicating than absolute alcohol. They
reassure the arrogant: they allay all doubts
This salutable minority is very strongly in
trenched in the political traditions and mscon
ceptons of mankind. 1t has air of being in
the scheme of things Its heads are highly
placed. And it is picturesque. 1t photographs
easily and is, by that alone, assured of steady
newspaper publicity. 1t commands a great
supply Of bands. 1t is the custodian of the flag
The facts that it may be dangerous and useless
weigh but lightly in the common mind against
such attractions.
X X X X
One may doubt if the generality of adorned
and salutable soldiers in the world want war
They want the possibility of war, of course
the world parceled up into competing nations
and so forth. because otherwise they could
have no professional careers, no interiors to