Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-10-02
Careless World Drifts Toward War

prevail Of that champion international
visitor and retriever of foreign orders
and honorary degrees, President Nicho-
las Murray Butler. Between these
gentlemen and Lieut.. Comdr. Ken
worthy I note much friendliness and
intimacy exist. He has been in
windy, unsubstantial company, where
phrases and good feeling count for
more than effective action. You are
to OUTLAW" war. You are just to
make treaty between the powers
concerned saying as much--and there
you are! You leave those powers COM
pletely untrammeled by their declara-
ton. Indeed. you leave everything as
it was before. But you say it.
y n X X
Lieut.. Comdr. Kenworthy gives a
treaty projected by Mr.. Houghton,
speaking in his private capacity as
citizen"-and only so far in earnest
(which liz probably the most vacuous
treaty ever proposed. At present,
peace. for an indefinite period. exists
legally between all these great pow.
ers; nevertheless "a hundred years
peace agreement between the United
States and Great Britain, and per-
hops other powers" is to be signed
with much fuss and ceremony--''in
the most solemn manner" I can see
the impressive gatherings that could
be imposed upon the affair. the par.
ties, the megaphoned and broadcast
speeches, the grip Of hand and hand.
the noble rich respectable emotions.
Royalty would have to be present,
and Washington-it would surely be
Washington-would be as full of silk
hats and uniforms as a Buckingham
Palace garden party. No intimations
of any method of settling all possible
issues conclusively without war are
made In this resonant phantom of a
proposal. To do that would be to
limit sovereignty.
I am sorry I cannot share Lieut..
Comdr. Kenworthy's faith in this
magic word "outlaWry" and its state
ly solemnization. / accept all his pre-
monitions of another great war; they
are only too convincing; but I believe
that the ending of war is a far more
complex, laborious and difficult task
than such mere gesticulations as this
imply. A great change is needed in
the teaching OF history and the train
ing OF the young citizen, a substitu.
ton Of a biological for a merely eco
nomic and political conception of
hope for the secure establishment Of
these world controllers upon which
alone an enduring world peace can be
sustained. In the meantime the most
effective resistance to the approach
OF another great war lies in the ex.
pressed determination now of as MANY
people as possible that they will have
nothing to do with it, that they will
not fight in 1t, work for 1t nor pay
taxes when it comes-whatever sort
of war It is.
X X X
Pacificism Is very ineffective and
has an unpleasant flavor If IL is
adopted after war has arrived; the
time for active pacificism is while
peace still rules. People who have
made no effort to avert war cannot
very we'll resist and grumble when
through their tacit invitation war
takes hold of them. The last war was
war to end war, and the politicians
and statesmen have not made good.
So now is the time for great pacifist
EFFORT. Now Is the time for people
who want to delay and avert a catas.
trophe. before the more deliberate or.
ganization of world peace can be
achieved, to make it clear that the
war makers will have to reckon with
OBJECTIONS. That Is the really prac-
ticable anti.war measure to attempt
now. but 1t is much more likely to
lead to Jail than to impressive cere.
monial junketings at the White House.
Copyright. 1927. by the New York Times
translation rights reaerved.b