The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1949-04-15


who fight only because fighting is
forced upon them. The spirit of
the people decide wars, and that
spirit cannot be produced, like
guns, in arms factories.
The Atlantic Pact, if ratified By
the Senate, will put the people Of
western Europe into American uni
forms. Amid their cathedrals, we
will pitch the tents of armies. We
will crush their hope of recovery un.
der the burden of our arms.
What do we offer them in return
CHINESE DIDN'T FIND OUR
OFFERING VERY NOURISHING
Nothing of the spirit but anti-com-
munism. That was not very strong
meat for the Chinese to feed on, and
they turned their faces from it.
When the first blow is struck, is it
reasonable to think it will be differ
ent with the Europeans?
Neither the United States and Bri-
tain nor the United States and west
ern Europe can carry on the burden
of the world by themselves. Down
that path hatred accumulates. We
don't have to choose Russian commu-
nism but neither do we have to en-
brace the British Empire, Roman
Catholicism or monopoly capitalism.
There is a fifth choice which is the
concept of old-fashioned American
ism moving to bring about a sense of
responsibility for the welfare of the
whole world.
1t is not our obligation to save
any vested interest. A Churchill
may come to our shores in March
of every third year to stir us to
action in shouldering burdens
which Britain no longer can carry.
A Catholic prelate may try to con-
vince us that the one choice is be-
tween Rome and Moscow. Cor
poration presidents may strive to
arouse our hatreds to such fever
heat that great appropriations will
be made to increase the business
of concerns making airplanes and
run interference for all these
vested interests. But neither the
vested interests nor the newspa-
pers can bring your children and
my children security.
/ have seen and talked to the COM
mon man in Latin America, China,
western Europe, Palestine, and So
Wet Asia. They all have the same
hope of peace and fear of war. They
all distrust balance-of-power politics.
jeremiah and Isaiah, the ancient
prophets, were caught in
times like these when two great
powers were striving nightly for SUI
premacy. They looked at those who
trusted in the sword and turned
away. By the law of the spirit they
knew that those who take up the
sword shall perish by the sword.
They knew that the only final
strength was in the Lord and his
righteousness. They knew that vio-
ence never finally paid either in
personal affairs nor international re-
GUNS NOT THE PATH TO PEACE
If the Bible says anything of value
n international affairs it says that |
he path to peace is not the path
# arms nor the path of international
lliances. "Put no trust in earthly
'rinces" said the Psalmist. Put no
rust in arms. Only by world serv
ce shall the Nation be saved.
IF the administration, as it pro-
fesses, sincerely desires peace, let
it state it's terms. Let the Rus
slams do likewise, as they have
clearly and repeatedly told us they
are prepared to do. Let the heads
of both nations, after preparations
at the expert level, sit down to
those terms. Peace will
require compromises and accom-
m odation on both sides. But no
that wants peace and
knows it's minimum demands can
refuse to discuss them, and pro-
pose a war-creating alliance in
stead.
Why then should our government
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