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The Commoner , ! VOL. 15; NO. 7 f u if. E . , m . V ' ', It i fluenco of high example. If we adhere to this policy we LEAD the world and we should be sat isfied with our primacy. If, on the other hand, wo arc to revolutionize our methods, we must be content to follow at the rear end of the European procession. Wo can not take the lead if we join the European group, for leadership in that group requires tho acceptance of the doctrine of con quest. Wo could at best be a poor second if wo so changed our national policy as to become a part of a European police force. We would not be "one of of the finest" on parade day we would limp along apologetically, with downcast eyes and blushing cheeks. No, tho advocates of tho European police force plan can not silence opposition with an intellectual frown; they can not dismiss their rpponents with such epithets as "pacifist" and "non-resistant" they must come out in the open and admit: First, that they are willing to repudiate the teachings of Wash ington; second, that they are ready to abandon the Doctrine of Monroe; third, mat they favor such an amendment of the constitution as will transfer the power to declare war from congress to the nations across the sea, and, fourth, that they are tired of being good and hunger for the excitemont of the camp and 'the man hunt. Let the' people understand the real purpose of tho "League to Enforco Peace," and not even the, prestfge of the deluded scholars who have casein their lot with it can save it from tlie ex ecrations of an indignant public. W. J. BRYAN. " i .f . A' REFERENDUM ON WAR A-southern congressman, in speaking on tho prospectr. o Avar, recently said that he believed In war if, the people wanted i war, but that ho would prefer to have tho people voto on the subject so as to be sure they did want it. He. added tho suggestion that a vote be taken, with thoi.understanding that those who voted for war would .enlist, first and that those who-voted against war. would not be expected to enlist un-til-a-fter tho others had .been enrolled. . , , . . Mr. Bryan repeated the suggestion to . tn .newspaper men and it has gone over the. coun try .ithefirei ciiu-.uomesnrroin tnejExpressjtLit-. itJ5i. Lancaster, county, Pennsylvania. .The -Express has -taken a referendum vo,to and so far. theyplto. against war between the, .United States, Germany,. Mexico or any ojther. country is 203; tho voto for the war is so far 0. ,The idea is ,a gPftftjWPpj.If.tlie other, papers take it up we will S09fl Ymv..w)at public sentiment is on, the sub' JPTT? anybody has any doubt how. ' l . , , ., AS TPE FARMER SEES, ja; ' , , ' ', . 'AtsHod-rjck, Oklahoma, an-agricultural com- mivnity,-th;e following -petition was prepared siged.;by' nearly 80 citizens, (95 per .cent of those to whom it was presented) and sent to the. president: . ,. i ..... ,, ,, . HWe'doenot- believe that war-crazed-Europe could offer any insult that -would, justify our. country, in r joining, in . this .monstrous crime' against civilization." n i . ,,, How "unpatriotic such a petition must seem to a man who is figuring on a million dollars profit on s,n ammunition contract! And yet there1 are many sensible people in the United States who think -that there is as little glory to be won.,in entering nto ,this fight as there would be in, chal lenging the inmates of an insane asylum If it hadn't been for the war, -thunder the re publican .editors, there wouldn't .have been any American prosperity and the igreat structure i of Amerivn industrialism would have been. sapped, at Its .foundations. After which they throw unr opened .into.-their waste :baskets the statistical record of, imports and exports showing just how. small a "proportion of. the 'increased business is due to the shipment of munitions ot. war., ju, ," A GLADSOME CHANGE Did you notico the change? And isn't it grat ifying? For ten days befere the second German note was published, tho jingo press was filled "What's what." Patience was exhausted: no $ pace treaty parleys; it was time to act.' And jWtfcen (about Juno 8th) prfcstb' change,, "ho w lnoniuv uio spiru, now mnu tno tone"! "who S" 't ihiilrl VArvrtrrl on oil o nnta na tniUniin4lf nun should negotiations be cut eff?" "What is to in trfer with an amicable nnrierfttsiTwiinfr?" t gjeic. Well, it is worth something to have contrib uted even a nttio to tno cnange. W. J. BRYAN. i' ' &. - !'('' M . Force Only a Last Resort On another page will be found an editorial which appeared in the Nebraska Daily Journal, published at Lincoln, on tho morning of July' 1st. The editorial is written in a kindly spirit and is duly appreciated. The Bryans find it quite comforting to compare the attitude of this "homo city" paper today with its attitude when Mr. Bryan first entered politics. Reference is at this time made to the above mentioned editorial because it displays a certain blindness of which the editor of the Journal, un fortunately, has no monopoly. The readers of The Commoner, having had an opportunity to read all Mr. Bryan has said on the subject of peace, do not need the enlightenment which this editorial is intended to furnish, but it will still further equip them for the discussion of the sub ject. The title, "Force only as a last resort," has been selected because the purpose which I have in mind in writing is -to assist, not tho wil fully blind for no one can help them but those who, becauso they have , ot read, or having read, do not understand my position. The intentional misinterpretations, h.owever, could not go fur ther or be more hurtful than this unintended one. My chief contention is, and has been, that the treaty plan should be adopted. And what is tho treaty plan? Is it possible that any intel ligent reader does not understand the plan em bodied in the thirty treaties which I have had the honor of negotiating? For the benefit of those if there be such who do not understand these treaties, let me emphasize the following points: First: The treaties apply TO ALL disputes of EVERY kind and character. There is NO EX CEPTION whatever. Thpse treaties were intend ed to make it impossible for war to begin with out a period of Investigation, during which anger may cool, and .questions of fact be oep eratfid from questions of .law. This provisipji in the treaty is -pretty .generally understood, but many are not so familiar with the f apt, that the treaties ??ffiJ?B;RVE? t0 eac& country the,,right, of INDEPENDENT aqtion WEN the' investigation is completed. Those who believe that a resort to force may become necessary ought to rejoice that the way is thus left open for war, if other means fail. The friends 6f tlicise treaties believe, NOT SSibJSfr lmae IMPOSSIBLE, but that the POSSIBILITY of war is made REMOTE. Can any friend of peace mourriv that "under these treaties war, instead of being probable, becomes merelV possible? Is this not a long step in advance? In order to make the treaties include ALL disputes it was necessary to permit a FINAL resort to war if peaceful methods fail. We have twenty-six arbitration treaties "with as many countries, and these treaties preclude the possibility of war over the issues to which they apply, but unfortunately arbitration treaties contain certain important EXCEPTIONS; name ly: 'National honor," "independence," "vital in terests',' and the "interests of third parties." The mere enumeration of the exceptions shows how many disputes, being unprovided for, MAY result in war. And these disputes which are not cov ered by the arbitration treaties are the very dis putes about which wars arise. "National honor" alone would suffice for an excuse for any war that a nation really wanted to wage: "Independence" is also a sufficient cause for war if nations want to fight And "vital interests," what phraso could ho more comprehensive? Every interest becomes "vital' when nations are angry. The fourth eS ception-'tho interests of third par ties" (.overs nearly everything -else. A nation can not fall to find that third parties are interested if it Is lool iny for a pretext for a fight. ' ' Tho arbitration treaties, while preventing war over disputes to which they apply, ieaVe I Mg door wide open a door through which on, na- auy cSaSl" tt S 5' marCh int '"ho thirty treaties which have been concluded under this administration, do not, anTsta fed ; make war impossible, but they appl, tc ALL dishes of every kind and interpose a period of investigation and deliberation between the time when diplomatic efforts fail and the ?i,ne vhei war can be declared and hostilities commen, od I trust that as civilization advances our arbitra tion treaties will include more and more of t . disputes that arise between nations, Tit for e present we must content ourselves with the in ystigatjon of ALL- questions and hope that tM investigation may result in the finding la'fth,B amicable solution. unuing of an If the editor of the Journal will mn,i statements, interviews, and uttlrances' on Z subject of peace he will And that the p" ace pan which I advocate does not contemplate passltS acquiescence in wrong; it is far from non-resist nu d? P0int out' however, that the sn ?h which tends towards peace is diametricallS posed to the spirit which has during pas" a2S lead nations into War and is even now lea nations into War. With the growth of the S sentiment, diplomacy more and more turns it ward the employment 'of persuasion ami away from the "firmness" which contains a hint of force firmness which appeals to fear ra her man to love. I believe that it is wise to cultiviS a belief in the effectiveness of appeals tfr ien i' ship; I dissent entirely from tho theory that a nation's rights can best be preserved by lan-'uace which but thinly veils a threat. My VomSSn! against the jingo is that he would put this coun try in an attitude of unfriendliness to peaceful means and thus contribute toward the possibility of war; that he would leave to the nation with whom we have a dispute the prestige to be won by proposing a peaceful solution. I have faith in the persuasive methods inspired by the spirit of friendship, and crave for mv country the honor, not merely of ACCEPTING but of PROPOSING peaceful methods. Our na tion can -not afford to bo behind any other na tion in its efforts to avoid war. In the present dispute there is every reason why our country should make the advances to ward peace - There is no pressure upon us Ger many, oh the contrary, is excited. She feels, as do other4 belligerent nations, that tho struggle will tremendously affect her position and her people. She is not, therefore, as free as we are to suggest the measures to which people natural ly turn when they are calm--measures which it is much more difficult to propose when passion runs riot. , , A word mbre. I"f. the editor of the Journal will do me the honor to rdad what I have sai'l and written he can not fail to Notice that I have tried . to apply to the question under .discussion the fundamental principles of Christian religion. AS I UNDERSTAND THEM. 1 do not' claim the right to interpret 'Christianity for anyone else but I have' felt it -my 'duty to present Christianity as I see it. I believe that Christianity presents not only a solution but the BEST solution of in ternational problems, as it presents, in my judg ment, the best solution of the everyday problems which confront the individual; and I feel that this is ari opportune moment to press upon the world the difference between the new system of the 'Prince of Peace and the brd system which has' during the centuries Collected its toll in blood aiid treasure, and left after each war a legacy of hatred, the fertile soil in which new controversies germinate. 1 may' be'-' mistaken, but I'havo sufficient confidence in my interpreta tion of the- Scriptures to appeal, net only to all Christians' in the United States, tout to all Chris tians everywhere, to consider Whether the time is not ripe-for tho application 'of the teachings of Christ to. international affairs. I recognize how little one person can do, but God does not requ're of us that1 we do great things; he' only requires that we do what we ;an. The measure of respon sibility is the same for all; each must improve tho opportunities that come to him. To me thoro came what seemed to be an opportunity to tes tify to my" faith in the wisdom of Christ's teach ings; I could not shirk the responsibility wnich accompanied' that opportunity. ' It is a joy for me to know that none of my official associates have doubted that I have fol lowed my conscience not a tie of friendship has been broken, so far as t know. ' ItJ Is an addi tional jov to k'n'o'w'that mv neighbors and iho friends of a lifetime not only concede that I did what I thought was right, but increasingly ap provo of the course which I felt it my duty to Pursue. w. J. BRYAN. After having spent months manufacturing rhetorical chips for Uncle Sam's, shoulder and after making themselves hoarse 'shouting war commands to him, tho jingo papers unanimously resent tl)e making of any speech or the writing of any editorial' "by any one cwho opposes thir plans. Can you beat it? It would be difficult to catalogue anything arising from the gigantic'clash in Europe as ben eficent, hut it is not assailing the verities to say that it is giving th&repnMtcans an excellent alibi for tho existing prosperity. Mf ',;;j Itfc v ,-' " Tfff "r" - ff-Spyi.J. JV, jt.wiiu.ji j. . IP r . -w, rt '7 --,jKujttjqk n