Evening star., 1936-09-08
ERE Is the text Of the address
. of welcome delivered last
night by Secretary Hull to the
Il World War Conference and


L L World War Conference and
the Congress of the international
Commission on Large Dams:
1t is a great satisfaction to me to
be able to welcome in the name of the
Government of the United States the
distinguished members of the Third
World Power Conference and the Sec
ond Congress of the international
Commission on Large Dams. I assure
you that it affords us genuine pleasure
to have you as our guests in the Ma
tion's Capital.
The subject of the development and
use Of power, the harnessing of the
forces of nature to make them work
for man, is of tremendous and increas-
ing importance. Your meeting here
in Washington is convincing proof of
that assertion.
Engineers in every specialized field,
producers Of fuel. operators OF plants
and distributors of power and promi-
nent Government officials have come
here from more than so nations for
the purpose of meeting together to ex-
change technical knowledge, expert
ences and opinions.
Power represents one of the largest
single factors in any nations economic
structure. for upon power depend to
a large extent industry, transportation,
communications and, to a growing de-
gree, agriculture. And the the uses of
power are extended to millions of peo-
pie throughout the world, the influ
ence upon society Of this great expan-
sion must have the careful considera-
ton of us all.
Mechanics and Peace.
Those Of you who are concerned
with the development Of power tech
nology and those of you who are
interested in the organization and use
of power resources, have before you
almost unlimited opportunities for
great service to mankind. Inventive
and engineering genius have brought
many of the luxuries Of two decades
ago within the reach of all today.
Power and mechanical appliances con-
ceived and produced by men of your
training and experience are able to
provide an even greater abundance
of good things.
But they also are capable Of produc-
ing machines of acknowledgements
of war. Unfortunately. q vastly dis
proportionate share Of the skill and
energy of scientists and statesmen alike
is being devoted now in many parts
Of the world to the creation and or
ganization of forces of destruction.
Shall we allow this application Of
genius and energy to be dissipated in
the agony Of armed conflict, or shall
we insist with all the determination at
our command that they be employed
effectively in the pursuit of peace?
Shall the brains of the world be used to
tighten the burdens Of man. or shall
they be used for the grim purposes of
war?
The responsibility Of maintaining
peace in world fraught with suspicion
and fear and torn by dangerous ambi-
tons and conflicting political philoso-
phies rests not upon governments
alone. This responsibility rests to even
greater degree upon the shoulders of
the thinking people of each land; peo-
pie such as you who meet here to con-
slider important matters common to
every country. You meet in a spirit
Of friendly cooperation with no
thought of chauvinism or political
jealousy. You thus not only make
progress in your own field Of endeavor:
you also advance the cause of peace.
And the cause of peace is the cause of
civilization. Religion, science, culture
and social betterment only 60 forward
in q world without war.
World Holocaust Seen.
Every war Of the past has retarded
the progress Of civilization in direct
proportion to the vigor with which it
was pursued and the number of days,
months or years it has endured. Yet
we find today q lamentable absence of
appreciation by many responsible and
influential statesmen that these pres
ent warlike tendencies can only lead to
a world holocaust. Are we in this
supposedly enlightened age so stupid
that we cannot read this awful lesson
Of history? I refuse to believe that
we are. I am convinced that once this
lesson is fully learned by the people Of
the world the unanimity of their re-
sponse will secure to us the blessings of
permanent peace.
And 1t Is your duty as well as mine
to teach this lesson. The people Of
the world must learn that war Is q
cruel mill whose stones are the misled
hope Of national aggrandizement and
the selfish ambitions Of unscrupulous
persons. The oil and fuel OF that mill
are furnished by the fear and hate
which come from distrust and sus-
picion. The grain for that mill is
the valiant, patriotic youth of the
world, ready to carry out the orders
Of the leaders who are too often reck-
less or ruthless. The grist from that
mill is death-death to youth, death
to hope, death to civilizationI
Accustomed as you are, as men Of
science or men of affairs, to deal with
a -