Evening star., 1943-01-03
Peace Society Opposes
Peace Bosis by Force
By Frederic J. HaSkin.

of peace that is to follow the war and
how that peace is to be maintained, 1t
is interesting to note how sentiment ap-
parenly is growing in favor of some form
OF world police force to help maintain
law and order in much the same man.
ner as city is patrolled. Such plan
Is all the more interesting because it is
contrary to one of the main principles
OF the American Peace Society, now
more than century old, and which has
through its many decades of existence
numbered among its members some of
the country's wisest men.
| The American Peace Society's work for
peace through International justice is
net contrary to the views Of many indi-
viduals and groups who advocate the
same or similar principles. Always IA
voring an adequate national defense for
| the United States, the society does, how
ever, register its stern opposition to any
scheme of setting up an international
organization for the purpose OF main
tanning peace through the force of arms.
| Founded, not in time Of war when
| immediate peace was needed but in an
era of peace, the society through years
of tranquility and during periods of
| national and international strife has car
/ ried on its program OF advocating peace
| through justice. Believing that law is
! the expression of good WILL and in es-
| sence nothing else. that agreements are
! guaranteed by religion, public opinion,
certain underlined laws of honor and that
| the interest of the few should be sub
servient to the interests of the many, the
organization has ever endeavored to fos-
ter a program of order among nations.
! Also believing that peace finally will pre-
vail among the nations of the world, this
is the goal toward which the society has
strlven Tor lis years. Advocating peace
through proper application of interna-
tional laws has been the unabated battle
| Of the society.
BY the merger of many State and local
peace societies. the oldest of which was
New York, dating from May, 1915, the
! American Peace Society was organized
at the home of Law Dodge, upon the
initiative of William Ladd, in New York
City, May 5, 1923. Its founder being the
first to advocate a congress and high
court Of nations" one of the societys
! earliest attempts to influence public opin-
ion and dif1use its principles was to offer
cash prizes for the best essays on high
court through which nations could settle
| their differences. During the Mexican
War a cash prize of $500, an attractive
| amount for that period, was the means
of producing vast amount OF literature
/ on the causes and cures Of wars. The
effort was widely judged as distinctive
contribution to American history.
This program of interesting the public
in peace through reading and research
has been an unchanged principle OF the
society, and many Of the country's lead
ing journalists and statesmen Of every
era have participated. Such names as
Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Ellery
Charming, William Jay and Charles
Sumner are found in the long and dis
tingu,shed list of men and women who
have interested Themselves in producing
constructive literature for the scciety's
program Of peace through justice.
In the lis OF well-kncwn persons who
have served the society as president CT
vice president are found the names OF
tnson G. Phelps, Theodore E. Burton,
Andrew Carnegie. Edward Everett Hale.
Julia Ward Howe, Elihu Root, Jchn
Green.eaf Whittier, Thomas H. Gallau-
det, founder of the first school for deaf
! nutes in the United States, and many
i others of note and distinction in busl-
ness, politics, law and literature. John
C. Calhoun and Daniel Webster are also
among the distinguished men who have
served the society in various ways
The Pan-American Union, one Of the
potent factors in world peace, was au-
thorized after the American Peace So
cietv presented numerous petitions to
Congress. The society always has worked
to influence State Legislatures and the
Congress of the United States in behalf
of international conferences and the
judicial settlement of international dis
putes. Its effort to influence has been
marked with dignity and poise, and with
out the tactics of pressure. In this way
the society has escaped the stigma OF
being called fanatic in its relations with
legislative bodies 1t works with mem
bers of Congress toward a well-conceived
and organized effort in which each ma
ton concerned would seek in its own
interest to render assistance to others.
Believing that disputes among nations
can and should be settled through Or
derly channels of law, the society points
as an example to relations between the
United States Supreme Court and offl-
Gals and governing bodies of the several
States. The Supreme Court of the United
States exercises no sanctions of force in
its decisions of cases between States, nor
does it exercise authority against an Of
fetal of State. even for failure to act in
| accord with the Constitution OF the
| United States. If an official of a State
attempts to enforce an unconstitutional
law, the high court of the land may
enjon the official, but its proceeding is
not an injunction against the State. The
Supreme Court does not compel by man
damus any State official to perform his
duty, and no judgment of the United
States Supreme Court has ever been
executed by force against any State.
These facts, in the society's opinion,
constitute sufficient historical evidence to
show that force Is not the avenue to
world peace. The futility Of forcing a
nation to remain peaceful, and the in
ability of any agency to use force to ac-
complish such purpose, is strikingly
shown in the ill-fated League of Nations
relations to Japan, to Manchuria, to
| +ol,